Star Wars: Halo at war
by reza0807
Summary: Darth Sidious, emperor of the Galactic Empire, used his foresight along with his cunning mind to rise to power. His visions allowed him to eliminate any threat to his rule. Now the Dark Side whispers of a weakened yet worthy foe in a neighboring galaxy. The war machine of the Empire is now giving its undivided attention to the UEG and its protector the UNSC. A new war has begun...
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings fellow star wars and halo fans, this story will be set before the events of halo 4 and after the empire strikes back. It will be a mix of canon/legends/AU with a few OCs in it. I hope you will enjoy it.**

* * *

 **3ABY**

 **SSD** _ **Executor**_ **, Darth Vader's personal chambers**

 **Sullust, Sullust system**

Darth Vader was alone in his chambers aboard the super star destroyer _Executor_. His hunt for the Rebel Alliance had been with results as his troops took care of the last remaining rebels on the planet Sullust. He had been forced to go down only one time to the hot planet and just his presence had broken many of the rebels. When the day was over and he was back on his flagship the rebels had essentially lost. Their base destroyed. Their weapons destroyed. Their ships destroyed. But most importantly, their resolve had been destroyed. The locals were sympathetic to the rebels before he arrived but now they were staunch followers of the Empire.

It was common for him to immediately report to the Emperor. Sidious was very clear on the control he had over his apprentice but this time it was different. The Emperor had sent a message to the ship stating that Vader had to contact him as soon as possible. Beneath the dark and cold mask Vader frowned. If the Emperor wanted to see him right away then it had to be important. Usually he would let Vader do whatever his task was but when the Emperor wanted to see him as soon as possible it was usually something that was either a threat or a possible threat.

Vader ceased his musings and stood up from his seat in his meditation room. He slowly went down the steps and stood at the circular spot that would activate the holoprojector. Vader knelt down as the projector activated revealing the large projection of his master. From beneath the dark hood Sheev Palpatine, known as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, but also known as Darth Sidious regarded his apprentice with the same look as usual. Only this time one could see a strange glint in his eyes.

"What is thy bidding my master?" Came Vader's usual baritone voice.

"Lord Vader," Sidious began with his cold tone that sends chills down a man's spine "are the rebels on Sullust done for?"

"Yes my master, my troops are dealing with the remainders as we speak. They will be completely wiped out within the rotation." Vader answered.

"Well done my old friend. The Rebellion is on the run now and will be unable to do anything any time soon. However I have foreseen a new threat. One that surpasses this pitiful Rebel Alliance." The Emperor said with a scowl on his face.

Vader looked up at him and asked, "A new threat my master?"

"Indeed lord Vader." The Emperor nodded and added "They live in the unknown regions and upon my order probe droids were sent there. It is how I learned of a human coalition named the United Earth Government. The droids were able to gather intel without revealing themselves. This UEG as they call themselves has multiple worlds, all of them with human citizens, without knowing of us just as we knew nothing of them."

Vader wondered how such a human coalition could have gone unnoticed. It would make sense that no one found them. The unknown regions were hardly explored with the conflicts raging on in their galaxy. Now however there was a state of peace with the Empire's presence making explorations more possible than before.

"I take it you see them as a possible threat?" Vader inquired carefully. His master would be displeased if he said that there was the possibility of him being scared of another power.

Fortunately the Emperor merely nodded. "Indeed my apprentice. If left unchecked this UEG could expand its power base and expand to our galaxy. I do not doubt that the Empire can handle them in military might but I dislike surprises. I have already tasked Imperial Intelligence to investigate this new player and gather as much info on them as possible. More than our initial probe droids have found out. I expect a report very soon and let me make it clear that I am not happy about the prospect of another government next to mine." Palpatine explained with his constant scowl.

Vader nodded in understanding and said "You wish to conquer this UEG." It was more of a statement than anything. Sidious gave a small smirk to the remark.

"To secure the Empire's continuation we must destroy any opponent. When I have learned more of our new neighbor I will formulate a plan to attack them. The reason why I contacted you immediately is because of your upcoming role in my plan. When you are done on Sullust you will head to Kuat before coming to me on Coruscant. You will arrange the mobilization of the fleet at Kuat and when you're here on Coruscant you will aid me in the battle plan. Other high ranking officers such as grand admiral Thrawn will be present. Time is of the essence lord Vader. If we have found our new enemy then there's a chance they have already found us or will in the future." Sidious told his apprentice.

"I will leave as soon as possible my master. What about the Rebels?" Vader asked thinking about a certain pilot. Sidious paused for a second and then smiled at his apprentice.

"Do not worry my old friend. Your efforts to crush the Rebellion have gained more results than I would have hoped of. The Rebellion is so weakened and ill-equipped at the moment that they are nothing more of a slight nuisance. Not to forget the efforts of the late grand general Tagge and mine in expanding both the imperial army and navy. We have the resources to wage war lord Vader. It is about time we did so." Sidious said leaning back in his chair.

Vader bowed once more and said "It will be done my master."

The Emperor nodded and proceeded to shut the holoprojector off. Vader rose from his kneeling position and hissed at the pain that he felt in doing so. He went back to his meditation seat and activated the communication screen on the wall. After putting in a few codes the visage of admiral Piett appeared. The admiral was sitting at his desk with a datapad in hand but he quickly placed it on his desk and stood at attention.

"My lord, what can I do for you?" Piett asked while giving a slight bow. Piett was one of the competent officers that Vader actually liked and respected. The man had proven his worth whereas others had achieved their station through wealth and politics. So far Piett had booked results which kept him on Vader's good side.

"Once business is concluded on the planet we will set course for Kuat immediately. I want us out of this system within the rotation. Make this your priority admiral." Vader commanded. The admiral seemed to be nervous but Vader recognized it as a habit the admiral had. Piett knew what would happen if he failed and therefore was nervous. A trait that served him well since it motivated him to work harder and meet Vader's high expectations.

"Yes my lord, I shall do so at once." Piett answered dropping whatever he was doing on his datapad and making way for the bridge.

With that taken care of, Vader let the hatch of his meditation chamber close so he could prepare himself. Once it was fully closed the machine inside removed his helmet. Darth Vader took a deep breath, glad to be free of his mask again.

* * *

 **November 5, 2556**

 **Outskirts of Groretsk, Groretsk sand plains**

 **Talitsa, Sverdlovsk system**

"Did you find anything?" Corporal Anthon asked his fellow squad mate.

"Nope, only sand as far as you can see with the occasional rock." PFC Mathews answered with annoyance.

The corporal beside him nudged him. "I thought you were happy to be away from base for once." He said playfully.

Mathews grumbled, "At least I don't get sand everywhere there. Why are we even here? The comm tower had some glitches but since when is that enough reason to send a whole marine squad to investigate?"

The others thought of the orders they had received an hour ago back at the base close to Groretsk. The base's commander had received word from the comm center that one of the communication towers was acting up. With the possible insurgents sneaking around he did not want to take any chances. It could be an effect from the meteor that impacted the night before but it had to be investigated. The UNSC couldn't get sloppy even with the human-covenant war being over for three years. Insurrectionists were still around and it was the job of the marines to keep an eye out. Therefore a marine squad was sent out to investigate the comm tower. Upon arrival the technician that came along began working on the tower while the marines guarded and searched the area.

"Mathews is right, so far there has been nothing here. Not even an insurrectionist or even a lizard." Private Delano remarked with a dull tone.

"Well something banged up the comm tower. If the commander wants us to find out what then we'll just have to look around somewhat. I mean it's not like we're detectives." Anthon told them. He had to admit that even he was getting annoyed. There was absolutely nothing to do.

"If you're all so fed up with standing around you could give me a hand." The technician spoke up from beneath the access panel of the comm tower.

Delano shrugged and grabbed some of the repair tools. He then laid them out so the technician could grab them easily. The boy pulled a screwdriver out of the heap and started working on a certain part that seemed to be sparking.

"Making any progress yet Robbie?" Mathews asked the technician that fixed most things at the base. The kid wasn't exactly old and did most certainly not look his age. But that was part of the innocent look as they said at the base. If one had a problem then Robbie knew how to fix it.

"Almost done. Whatever caused the damage must have been poking around the circuitry. Give me a minute or two and I'll have it working. Then we can check if someone has accessed it." Robbie said cheerfully. His mood was contagious and seemed to cheer up others.

Mathews smiled and said "Well, keep up the good work kid. You're my fastest ticket out of here so I'm not going to cause any trouble."

"Looks like the sarge is back." Anton remarked.

A Warthog drove by the fence and halted at the other one. Unlike the other one which was a simple troop Warthog, this one was equipped with the standard M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun. The driver stepped out along with the sergeant who had taken shotgun. Ironically the sergeant actually carried a shotgun with him. The driver carried her MA5B assault rifle on her back. The gunner stayed on the MG but just like the driver carried her BR55 battle rifle on her back.

"Finally back with the girls sarge?" Mathews joked earning a slap on the head.

"Cut the jokes Mathews or I'll make a joke about you landing in the med bay." Cassandra grunted crossing her arms.

Mathews rolled his eyes and said "Oh come on, a little joke is fine. It's not like there is anything else to do."

The middle aged sergeant placed his shotgun over his shoulder and glared at him. "I could always order you to go around the fence and look for any holes. In fact why don't you do that private Mathews?" He said with a grin at the end. A grin that the others shared.

"Do I have to?" Mathews groaned.

"Don't make me force you Mathews." The sergeant said gripping his shotgun more tightly.

The gunner started cheering "Here comes the shotgun to the face! A sergeant Hill special!"

"You could have just listened dude." Delano said shaking his head.

"Go for it sarge." Cassandra told the leader.

Mathews looked at Anton for aid but his squad mate only smiled at him.

"Why thanks guys. I really appreciate the support." He grit out but left before the threat could be realized.

"Better get a move on Mathews." The Warthog's gunner remarked with a wide grin.

Mathews flipped her off and muttered "Up yours Jessica."

With that done Hill turned towards the technician that just crawled out from under the access panel.

"Anything worth reporting?" He asked the young fixer.

"Only that someone has been studying the inner workings and accidentally knocked some of the circuitry loose. I don't get why someone would do that though. The workings of a comm tower are basics." Robbie reported as he removed his tools. He turned he panel on and started looking at the screen.

Hill then turned to Anthon. "What about you guys?"

"Nothing sir. We couldn't find any signs of someone being here. No footprints or any other tracks." Anthon replied.

"That's strange." Hill muttered.

"This is quite strange too sir if I may say so." Robbie said while typing away at the panel. His statement gained the attention of the Marines.

"What do you mean Robbie?" Delano asked curiously.

The young technician scratched his head before replying "Well for starters someone definitely accessed the tower. Whoever did so looked at literally everything there is to see. He or she made a connection to the internet providers in the city and researched history along with other standard things you can look up on the internet. Then there are messages ranging from civilians to those of the authorities. It's as if the guy was on a mad information quest."

"Whoa, whoa wait a moment." Cassandra intervened waving her hands. "You mean that this tower was used to get some Wi-Fi?"

"Well there is also the fact that the few military transmissions were accessed as well but I don't think our fugitive could really see anything. All military files and messages are encrypted. You'd need to be a machine to decipher everything." Robbie said and shut the panel off.

"It doesn't matter right now. What we're going to do is report this to the commander. Let's get back to base." Hill ordered and started walking towards the Warthog.

Delano went to Cassandra and whispered "I bet ten bucks that ONI spooks are going to investigate this."

"Make it twenty." Cassandra answered.

The marines all went back to the Warthogs but just as they were going to call Mathews a shout echoed throughout the area. The marines stopped and with a quick command from Hill they ran back to the tower. When they arrived they saw Mathews lying on the dusty ground at the fence. Delano walked up to him and checked his pulse. His eyes widened as he felt nothing. He turned the dead marine over and gasped softly at the look in his dead squad mate's eyes. Mathews' entire face was contorted in surprise and horror.

"Jesus Christ mate." Anthon said softly.

"How did this happen?!" Hill demanded as he crouched and checked the corpse himself.

Cassandra then noticed a scorch mark on his neck. "Sir what is this?"

"Damn, something burned straight through his neck." Anthon whispered.

"And I wonder what did this." Hill said as he looked around.

Robbie walked around searching for clues and opened one of the containers. He grabbed the flashlight that was clipped to his belt full with tools. The technician turned it on to come face to face with some sort 1.6 meters tall machine that was floating inside the container. Robbie shouted out in alarm turning around to move away. The machine made some sort of hiss and floated forward with haste. The six arms on its underside grabbed the boy with one of them stabbing itself in his neck. Robbie gave a muffled scream as electricity surged through his body. Within a few seconds he seized shuddering and slumped down. The same look of horror and surprise he had seen on Mathews' face was now etched on his.

The imperial Viper probe droid fled the scene as soon as possible and flew across the small installation. It's antenna was buzzing with the intel it was transferring to the imperial stealth vessel that hid close to the system. It evaded containers and other equipment all to escape the humans it had identified as marines. Its mission to download intel and find out as much as possible had been a great success. The arrival of the probe droid had been done so under the disguise as a meteor storm. Finding an access point to the natives their communication network had been more difficult yet possible. Now everything the probe droid had learned was being sent to the stealth ship.

The probe droid was about to leave the perimeter but crashed into one of the Marines. The droid was knocked back by the force but the human fell on the ground. The droid could see the companions of the marine ran towards them so it fled again.

"Get it! It killed Robbie as well!" Delano yelled running as fast as he could with his weapon in hand.

"What the hell is that thing?" Anthon asked while sprinting forward.

The droid saw it was being pursued by the marines and had no choice but to open fire. A smaller arm came out from the beneath the droid with a blaster attached to it. it aimed at the pursuing marines and fired red laser bolts at them.

"Whoa watch out!" Cassandra yelled as she dived behind a boulder to avoid getting shot.

Delano grunted and aimed his assault rifle. He lined his rifle up with the fleeing droid before opening fire. Series of bullets left the weapon and coursed towards the droid. The Viper probe droid saw the attack coming so it began evasive maneuvers. It learned very quickly that dodging bullets was more difficult than dodging a laser bolt. One of them hit its camera shattering the glass. Survival chances were getting slim so it went past cover and sped up the upload process.

"Keep it occupied while I flank it." Anthon told his companions.

The Marine ran a different path that if he remembered correctly would cut the machine off. He gripped his rifle tighter as thoughts of Mathews and Robbie filled his mind. The sergeant wanted the piece of scrap mostly intact but that didn't mean he wasn't going to shoot it first. He crouched behind one of the sandy rocks with the intention of stopping the unknown machine. Seconds went by before Anthon heard the familiar buzzing of the machine. As it came closer he readied himself.

The probe droid had just sent almost all of the acquired intel but then a marine popped out of cover halting it. The droid was stunned for a moment but its processor analyzed the threat. The droid proceeded to turn its blaster at the marine but was too late. The marine opened fire with a projectile rifle shredding the chassis of the probe droid apart. With most of its body destroyed the droid fell on the ground.

"I got it!" Anthon yelled out to his fellow soldiers.

The rest of the squad jogged towards them and then the droid realized it was about to fall in enemy hands. Programming installed within the droid dictated that all Imperial Intelligence probe droids could not fall in enemy hands. With that simple rule the droid activated a last resort measure.

The other marines were about to reach the machine and Anthon who was standing right next to it but were forced to stop when the droid activated the last resort measure. The droid went up in flames as the self-destruct initiated. Anthon was dead before he knew it as not only his body burned but it was roughly thrown against a boulder because of the explosion's force. Hill cursed loudly seeing another one of his team slumped dead against the ground.

"He's dead." Cassandra confirmed as she checked up on him.

Hill sighed and looked at the burning scrap. "Let's call in backup. Who know if there are any more of those things. Jessica you will comm the base. Cassandra and I will gather our fallen friends." He told the rest with a heavy heart.

The marines nodded wordlessly and did so as their sergeant ordered.

* * *

 **Near Talitsa**

 **Imperial stealth ship**

Captain Chajar Calkinn of Imperial Intelligence frowned aboard the stealth ship close to Talitsa. His mission granted to him by the emperor himself had been going smoothly until the native security arrived. The video feed he got from the probe droid showed the encounter with these 'UNSC Marines' as they were called. For a primitive the man had used some sort of slugthrower unlike any he had seen before. It was very advanced for such a weapon and had shredded the droid apart. Calkinn had been reading some of the intel as it was transferred to the vessel by the droid. It was quite surprising that the major native language called English was the same as Basic.

One of the things he had been reading was an article detailing a war between the now identified UEG and a group of genocidal aliens called the Covenant. Calkinn was baffled by the fact that this war had been going on for decades and that it had ended only a few years ago. How the UEG and its military branch the UNSC managed to defeat a far more superior foe was mind blowing. Part of the article contained actual videos of battles between the UNSC and the Covenant. Calkinn had seen a lot of aliens before but never those of this religious group. Especially the large 'Elites' were quite fearsome. Calkinn believed they were quite the match for Wookies. Still it was interesting to learn that the Covenant used plasma technology and that the humans used projectile weapons. A disadvantage for the UNSC.

It was too bad that all the information the probe had gathered was not all too enlightening on UNSC weapons. Calkinn understood the danger the advanced slugthrowers posed based on the scuffle between the probe droid and the marine but there had to be more. He had yet to find out about most planet locations, assault vehicles, starships and a lot of necessary intel. The emperor stressed out the retrieval of military intel but what Calkinn had gained by the use of probes and listening equipment was enough. Now that the humans were alerted on the presence of hostiles he had to leave.

"Sir, the last of our probes has sent all gathered intel. What should we do with the units?" An ensign asked from his station.

Calkinn stepped towards the ensign and rested his hand on the man's chair. "Move them towards concealed areas and initiate self-destruct. Since we can't retrieve them we'll just have to make sure no one finds them." He told the ensign who nodded.

After some commands and protocols activated the remaining probes all went to a hidden place before blowing up just like the last one did at the comm tower. After all probes were confirmed to be destroyed Calkinn went back to the cockpit of the corvette-sized stealth ship.

"Prepare the jump to hyperspace. Our destination is Terminus. From there we will take the hyperspace lane straight towards Coruscant." He ordered.

The pilot looked up and responded with "Yes sir."

The coordinates were put in the navigator and with a simple pull from a lever the ship entered hyperspace containing all gathered intel on the UEG.

* * *

 **Earth**

 **Sydney**

 **UNSC HIGHCOM facility bravo-6**

Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood sat patiently in his chair at the table inside HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. The security meeting with the rest of the highest ranking officials of the UNSC was called upon by head of ONI admiral Serin Osman. When Osman called for so many to attend to a security meeting it had to be a major issue. Hood thought about possible reasons why Osman gathered everyone at the facility. Perhaps the Storm Covenant was up to something major or an Insurrection threat was on the horizon. Hood pondered silently on what could be going on but his musings were interrupted when Osman took the stage.

"Welcome to this emergency meeting that I have organized concerning a space anomaly close to the colony world of Talitsa." Osman said activating a large screen showing graphics.

"These energy readings were taken by one of our new sensor arrays. These facilities are able to detect even the slightest indication of energy readings close to our space. While possible that it is simply a natural reaction we must remind ourselves that it is possible a different civilization passed there." Osman told the gathered committee.

Admiral Kovalic put his hand in the air and asked her, "Are you certain of this? Is there any evidence we really detected another civilization passing our borders?"

"I am. On the surface of Talitsa a communication tower was reported to have some sort of glitches. Due to its importance in the network a marine squad was sent to investigate. They found out that something tampered with the comm tower. In fact they encountered the one responsible." She explained and changed the view to that of the probe droid. The video taken from the marine's helmet cam played showing the droid in action.

"What is that?" Major General Nicolas Strauss asked portraying the confusion of the other officers.

Osman froze the screen and said, "We have never encountered this machine before but from what we found out it was responsible for the comm tower's intrusion. It is also responsible for the deaths of a few marines and a technician. When it was stopped it blew up on its own resulting in the death of one of the marines. Apparently this happened just before our sensors picked up the anomaly."

Hood frowned and asked, "So these two events are connected? How can we be certain that it wasn't the Storm Covenant or the Insurrectionists?"

"If that was the case we would have picked up the energy readings of a slipspace jump. Whatever craft passed our border used a different FTL travel method. My personal opinion is that this unknown craft was there to spy on us. The droid pulled as much intel as it could out of the comm tower. ONI's technicians are still figuring out how much they extracted." Osman further said .

"You are certain?" Hood asked one more time.

Osman gave a firm nod.

"Perhaps we should inform the Sangheili of this. We're still building our relationship with them and they could prove to be essential in case of another war." General Hogan proposed.

Some of the gathered leaders began disagreeing with someone saying they could be cannon fodder for the UEG. Hood calmed the down with a stern command. A short silence filled with tension took place after the small uproar.

"If the possibility of an unknown civilization is so high then we'll need to bolster our defenses." An admiral spoke up.

"We're still rebuilding our military. It's true that we have a good amount of ships left along with newer ones at the shipyards but we mustn't forget our temporary weakness." General Strauss said with a frown. Even though he was army he had a vast knowledge of the navy's situation.

"Then it's a good thing we have incorporated Forerunner tech in our ships. The _Infinity_ is a good example." A vice-admiral spoke up.

"The _Infinity_ is still looking for Forerunner worlds and other installations. It has made progress so far." Osman replied.

"Zeta Halo has already given us the knowledge on better engines. Deciphering most of the data has proven to be difficult but we're making progress there as well." Another vice-admiral said but he had the ONI symbol on his uniform.

"We're getting off topic here. Fleet admiral Hood, what is our course of action?" Kovalic asked.

Hood took a deep breath and thought about it for a few seconds. "We're at DEFCON 4. Increase border patrols and speed up our rebuilding of the military. Inform the Sangheili as well. The Arbiter has allied himself with us so we'll need him to be ready as well." Hood instructed.

* * *

 **Coruscant**

 **Imperial palace**

"How are these primitives that use slugthrowers as weapons a threat to us? Just one of those marines wouldn't stand a chance against our storm troopers." Moff Pollus Maksim boasted confidently.

As much as Vader wanted to lash out at the man he restrained himself. The moff was one of many to see the UEG as primitives but Vader knew otherwise. He could feel it in the force that the humans of the different galaxy were more dangerous than the imperials believed them to be. At the large table inside the imperial palace sat the most important military leaders of the empire. Some moffs, admirals, generals and grand admirals were present.

He himself sat at the right of Palpatine with Ysanne Isard at his left. Isard had brought her most important lackeys as well. Vader simply loathed the woman. In Vader's eyes she was unfit to be in command of Imperial Intelligence. Her two lackeys were also part of the organization and were obviously lapdogs. If she didn't know how to properly follow orders and praise Palpatine she would have been killed a long time ago. It was a pity, Vader thought, that the emperor liked her. She had sneaked her way up his small list of not to kill because of that. Without his master's backing she would have being choked slowly by now.

It was a good thing that he had brought his own trusted officers as well. Admiral Piett and general Veers sat at his side listening patiently. They did not speak out or judge the UEG so soon without knowing more. Vader would never say it out loud but these two were important to him. They were his most competent and loyal officers under his command. After dealing with so many incompetents he begrudgingly admitted he was proud of these two. They had become fine military leaders under his guidance.

"With all due respect sir but that marine shredded the probe droid apart. It takes a couple of blaster bolts to penetrate the armor of a probe droid. Based on this I'd say that their weapons are on par with ours. At least on the ground since we know little of their spaceships." Captain Calkinn argued. Because of the fact that he had done the reconnaissance he was present at the meeting. Having someone who experienced what happened was important.

"I suggest you listen to the captain. After all, he has been to UEG space on a military mission while you have been governing." Vader intervened coming to the captain's defense. The moff seemed taken aback and chose to be silent.

"Please calm down. We are here to finish our battle plan, not fight among ourselves." Palpatine spoke up with his calm yet cold voice.

"Your majesty, based on our intel it would be best to invade the nearest planet and build a base of operations there. From there on out we can attack the other worlds of the UEG. Aside from that our first objective should be to learn more about our foe." Thrawn proposed.

Palpatine nodded at the grand admiral. "Indeed grand admiral Thrawn. I will leave the fighting to all of you and deal with the rebels. It has been too long since I personally dealt with them. I shall leave all of you to the rest of the planning. Remember that lord Vader is in charge. Fail to obey his commands and you will have failed _me_."

With those parting words the emperor stood up and left the officers to themselves. He silently left the room with his royal guards in tow. Vader stood up and activated the holoprojector. It showed the gathered fleet at Kuat.

"Seeing as there are still threats within our own borders the amount of forces will not be endless. Nevertheless we have a substantial amount of ships ready to depart. The _Executor_ will not participate in the first battle. It would be unwise to show all our cards at the start. Admiral Thrawn will choose who will be in charge of the initial assault. Take what you need and get the job done." Vader instructed as he paced slowly around the projector.

"What will be the target my lord?" Thrawn asked curiously yet professionally.

The projector changed from the fleet to the image of a planet. "The UEG calls it Harvest. It is the closest target and ironically this Covenant that they fought before attacked that planet first. It will be both of military and psychological value." Vader replied.

"I believe I know someone who will be able to do the job. His name is admiral Brymal Monatt. A young but driven officer who has shown to be quite competent. He crushed a cunning rebel cell on Cato Neimoidia." Thrawn said.

Piett added, "I have heard of this admiral. He achieved his rank not all too long ago but is quite competent. Unlike other officers he's calm and more of a military person than politics. He also achieved his rank without any financial support or status even though his brother owns major industrial facilities on Eriadu. I've seen his work and believe he deserves respect."

Veers seemed thoughtful and added, "If I'm not mistaken he works with general Durame and together they also use battle droids to achieve their goals. I read in a report on one of their battles that they have multiple kinds of droids under their command. B2 battle droids, destroyer droids, BX-series droid commandos, hailfire droids, you name it and they have it. They even have magnaguards as a personal guard. I have to admit I would like to have some of those under my command as well."

"Pff, using some old battle droids won't aid him that much. The battle droids lost the clone wars." A moff said with a dismissive wave.

"Because they were shut down. The standard B1 is incompetent but the B2 is far from inferior. They might prove useful to our attack." One of the grand admirals spoke up calmly. The moff scowled but wisely shut up.

Vader thought about it for a moment. This was a very important operation. If the first attack ended in failure it would not only reflect poorly on the imperial military but it would be very disadvantageous. He had heard of the young admiral as well. It was his job to check the navy since he was the supreme commander and the name Monatt popped up now and then. If Thrawn proposed this man and Piett whose opinion mattered to the sith lord found him competent then Vader would agree.

"Very well then. Inform the admiral of his task and tell him to be ready to leave as soon as possible. Make sure he knows the danger of failing me and the emperor." Vader commanded.

"Lord Vader what about the possibility of the enemy coming in contact with the rebels. If they manage to get the UEG on their side it would mean a huge amount of information for the UEG. We have the advantage of surprise and that they are not familiar with our technology." Isard pointed out.

"Then we'll deal with them. For now we must focus on establishing a foothold in the UEG's galaxy. I'll task ISB to deal with rebel infiltrators." Vader answered.

Vader looked at the assembled group and said, "Remember that this will be a vital operation to ensure the empire's dominance. If necessary we will burn our enemies until nothing remains."

* * *

 **Unknown**

 **Secret rebel base**

Princess Leia frowned as she read the intelligence report detailing the imperial forces at Kuat. From what the Alliance's spies found out a large invasion force had gathered at the shipyards before jumping into hyperspace.

It was very concerning seeing as the invasion force had dozens of warships and thousands of ground troops ready for battle. She didn't know how many but according to the report it was large amount. The destination of this fleet was unknown as well.

Leia sighed at the thought of the empire knowing the location of the new rebel base. The defeat at Hoth had been taxing on the rebels but the most recent defeat at Sullust was devastating. Many ships were lost in that battle. Ships that were very needed at the moment.

The only positive thing so far was the fact that Vader had stopped his search for rebels. Leia knew it was connected to the departure of the massive fleet she just read about but what was the purpose? If not to eliminate rebels than what for? Was it meant to subjugate new systems? Was it to stop a threat to the empire?

So many questions yet so little answers. If the Rebellion was to find out what was going on they would need more information. Han would know how to calm her down. But he wasn't here with her. Leia missed his humor and his sass. She still resented Vader for putting him in that carbonite.

She shook away the thoughts of Vader and concentrated on what was important.

The rebels were going to strike an imperial listening outpost that had been on the lookout for rebels transmissions. It was important for the Alliance to destroy the listening out post.

Perhaps they would find more information about the invasion force there.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **UNSC base 'Shadow Castle'**

"Ready? Aim. Fire!" Lieutenant Cosby ordered as the Grizzly tank roared to life.

The Dual M310 120mm Smooth-Bore High-Velocity Cannons fired their shells at the target. Said target was a decommissioned Wraith. The shells tore easily through the hull of the covenant tank. The vehicle blew apart brightly leaving nothing but burning scrap behind.

"Nice shot Rickson." Cosby told the gunner of the tank.

"My pleasure sir." Rickson replied to his tank commander.

At the end of the war a new series of tanks had been developed with the objective of making already existing tanks more powerful. The M850 Main Battle Tank mark II was such an example. Its cannons could fire from a longer range and were more effective now. The tank was also larger than its predecessor. Now it needed both a driver and a gunner. Some of the tanks now had a tank commander to give orders and man the secondary machine gun turret at the top of tank.

"I really love this tank." Iglesias said from his driver seat.

"Who doesn't? Now let's get back to the garage. Target practice is over." Cosby told the two corporals.

"Yes sir." Iglesias replied and moved the tank away from the small field that acted as a practice field for the armored units.

The heavy tank drove towards the base's garage smoothly. The new engine allowed for better maneuverability and more speed. It was a large and heavy vehicle but the engine could make it go faster than the mark I Grizzly. As the tank drove towards its spot they passed a group of marines doing pushups. Their sergeant was yelling loudly for them to pick up the pace. Cosby and Rickson chuckled at the sweating marines.

The tank slowed down and stopped at the garage where other vehicles were in the process of being maintained by the engineers. Everything at the base was renovated and in top condition. The veterans of the human-covenant war had trained most of the personnel with good soldiers as a result.

"Hey isn't that the new Mammoth?" Rickson asked.

Indeed the large transport vehicle was the new Mammoth. Its role was that of Mobile Ground Command Center, Troop Deployment, Anti-Vehicular/Anti-Air platform/Anti-Infantry and Transport. The mini MAC at the top of the large vehicle was capable of massive destruction but when it came to mobility it lacked quite a lot. The strong armor and weaponry along with its multiple roles made up for that though.

"Now that's one big sonuva." Cosby remarked.

With the war over there was a large demand of military equipment to rebuild the UNSC's strength. For that purpose the base had three of these new Mammoths along with other new vehicles and weapons. Repairing planets from glassing operations was now far more easier thanks to recovered Forerunner tech. Harvest was now heavily protected due to it being a symbol of recovery to humanity.

"Lieutenant Cosby!" A marine yelled as he ran into the garage.

Cosby hopped out of the tank and went to the private.

"What is it son?" Cosby asked the marine who seemed to be in his twenties.

"You are needed in the command center sir." The private reported.

Cosby nodded. "I'll get there immediately. You can go now."

"Yes sir." The private said and saluted.

"In trouble again sir?" Iglesias joked as both he and Rickson sat on the Grizzly.

"Who knows. I just hope colonel Stansfield isn't mad about the mess from two days ago." Cosby groaned. The thought of the base's CO chewing him out wasn't quite appealing. She could really reprimand someone.

"Good luck sir." Rickson said before walking away with Iglesias at his side.

Cosby made his way towards the base's command center. On his way he joined some other officers all heading towards the same destination. The tank commander was now quite curious about the reason as to why everyone within the command structure was called to the command center.

Cosby walked inside seeing most of the officers already gathered. Colonel Stanfield stood at the holoprojector of the room with a troubled expression. Cosby noticed the man standing in front of her with a stern expression. He shot the man one more glance and then saw the symbol on the man's shoulder. It was that of ONI. Cosby was getting a bad feeling about what was going on so he went to his place and listened attentively.

"Everyone settle down." Stanfield ordered when everyone was inside. "The reason as to why you're here is because of captain Bradley here. He will explain why you're assembled."

The ONI operative stepped forward and took the stage. "Thank you colonel. I am here because ONI thinks an unknown enemy is coming to Harvest. After an incident on Talitsa and based on the retrieved information by our unknown enemy we believe they will come here. The little intel we have on their information gathering showed a lot of interest in this planet. At the advice of ONI HIGHCOM has elevated danger level to DEFCON 3. We need everyone to be on full alert." Bradley explained.

Murmurs broke out among the assembled group. Cosby frowned deeply at the news.

"Seeing as we are in possible danger all squads at the base need to be combat ready." Stanfield ordered.

"Any idea when this unknown threat will arrive?" A marine leader asked.

"Our sensors have not picked up anything so far but we think it won't take long anymore." Bradley replied.

"Get ready people. Harvest won't fall like it did all those years ago. Let's honor those that died to protect it before us!" Stanfield encouraged the soldiers.

Cosby watched from his spot as the others left the room. Once most people were gone he approached the colonel who was conversing with the ONI spook.

"I don't particularly care about your operations here but I'll send a marine detachment to protect the ONI building." Cosby overheard Stanfield say.

The spook nodded calmly. "Very well then colonel. I'll be leaving now. Make sure that detachment gets there as soon as possible."

With that the ONI captain left. Cosby saw the man grimace but shrugged it off.

Stanfield noticed him and asked, "What is it Cosby?"

"Ma'am I was wondering if I could set up an outpost at the pass close to the base. If there's a possible invasion coming it would be good to reinforce that point in case of an attack on the base." Cosby explained.

Stanfield thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Good thinking lieutenant. You have my authorization to deal with it." Stanfield said.

"Yes sir." Cosby replied and saluted before getting the necessary materials and men.

* * *

 **Two days later**

 **Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser UNSC** _ **Anchor**_

 **Harvest orbit**

Admiral Kovalic looked at the inky black space from the viewport on the bridge. It had been quite some time since he was sent to Harvest with additional ships to reinforce the rebuilding colony world. He had been tasked to defend the planet from their unknown foe so in addition to the standard defensive fleet guarding Harvest he had the command over both his own battlegroup and the ships granted to him by HIGHCOM. The entire fleet above Harvest was made out of fifty ships. Two fifth of them being light to heavy frigates. The rest were destroyers and cruisers but he had also three new Poseidon-class light carriers to give a fighter boost.

Kovalic didn't know whether it was enough to defend the planet but he would make the best of it. If things got too rough to handle he was to leave the system and join the nearest fleet as ordered. Leaving Harvest to fend off enemies by itself left a bad taste in his mouth but orders were orders. He wasn't going to leave without a fight though. There was still a chance that he could push the enemy back.

"Admiral my scanners are picking something up." The sensor officer suddenly reported from her station.

Kovalic frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

The ship officer typed at the console with a deep frown trying to make sense out of it. "I'm detecting movement close to our borders." She answered and then widened her eyes. "Multiple contacts entering our space now! There's a lot of them!"

Kovalic turned away from the console and ran towards he viewport. Others at the bridge looked outside as well with all the commotion.

Triangular ships began to appear but not out of slipspace portals. They arrived without warning. Kovalic gaped at the large amount of ships that just arrived.

"Get me a read on those vessels now!" He ordered.

The bridge officers and ensigns began working furiously at his command.

"Sir there are at least seventy ships or more." An ensign reported.

Kovalic cursed silently and was about to say something but he was interrupted by the communications officer.

"Admiral, one of the vessels is contacting us." The man said urgently.

The bridge grew quiet except for Kovalic who said, "Patch them through."

Within moments an image of a human in his thirties appeared on the screen. Kovalic was surprised at the fact that it was a human who showed up. The man in a grey uniform had short black hair and a strong jaw. A small scar trailed down the man's right eyebrow. Kovalic hid his surprise quickly and put up a serious face.

"This is admiral Kovalic of the United Nations Space Command. You are trespassing UEG space. Identify yourselves immediately and state your intentions at once." He demanded sternly.

"Greetings admiral Kovalic. I am admiral Brymal Monatt of the Galactic Empire. Me and my fleet are here to inform you that your world will be absorbed into our glorious empire. I ask for your immediate unconditional surrender." Monatt answered calmly with his hands clasped behind his back.

Kovalic frowned and said, "If you think we will go down without a fight then you're sorely mistaken. I'm giving you one chance to stand down so we can talk it out."

Monatt sighed and shook his head. He knew that even for primitives using slugthrowers it would be almost impossible to convince them to surrender.

"You are outnumbered admiral Kovalic. Are you sure you wish to fight the empire?" Monatt tried to reason one last time.

"Go to hell you imperial scum." Kovalic hissed and broke the connection. He then turned to his crew and began barking orders.

"Everyone to their battle stations. Assume formation delta three and prepare the MAC cannons. All pilots to their fighters. Inform ground command that an enemy called the Galactic Empire has declared war on us. Have them prepare for an invasion force. Alert HIGHCOM of our situation as well. Get a move on it people!" He ordered.

On every level the crew of the _Anchor_ hurried to their stations as trained. Engineers stood at standby to repair damage, pilots went to the hangars, marines equipped themselves with armor and weapons. The helmsman realigned the ship so it aimed the front at the imperial fleet and was followed by the other ships. The UNSC fleet assumed their position with frigates surrounding their assigned larger ships.

Kovalic oversaw the movements of his fleet and nodded in satisfaction when everyone was in position.

"All ships are to fire MAC cannons at my command. Destroyers and cruisers are to target the larger ships with our frigates aiming at their escorts. Have our fighter wings on standby to intercept hostile fighters." He ordered calmly yet with a commanding tone.

His crew worked on the double to carry out his orders. They were going to protect Harvest with everything they had.

* * *

 **ISD** _ **Grievous**_

Admiral Monatt stood indifferently at the viewport of his flagship, an imperial II-class Star Destroyer, called the ISD _Grievous_. Monatt had always been inspired by the separatist droid army. Therefore he used those droids in his tactics and battles. He named his flagship after the supreme commander of that army. General Grievous, albeit lacking in some aspects, was in Monatt's eyes a great military leader. During the clone wars he had been responsible for many republic defeats and the deaths of many jedi. Some of Monatt's tactics were based on Grievous' and as if that was not enough Monatt even had one of the deceased general's masks. Monatt admired the Kaleesh warlord. He could say that with amazing conviction.

Monatt's thoughts were occupied with the UNSC's ships. They were in his eyes ugly but from what the weapon officer of his ship reported it sported a large amount of weapons. Monatt also spotted the seemingly huge cannons at the front of each ship. He had yet to see what kind of weaponry the UNSC utilized on their starships. Probably slugthrowers as well if he guessed correctly.

Monatt didn't doubt his chances. While his foe had large ships and many smaller ones at their sides he had a large fleet himself. Fifteen imperial-class star destroyers, twenty-five victory-class star destroyers, five interdictors, twenty acclamator II-class assault ships and ten venator-class star destroyers. Aside from these larger ships there were also five light carriers and twenty light cruisers. A fleet large enough to break through the hostile fleet. Not to mention the large amounts of troops stored on the assault ships. The number of starfighters was also quite large due to the presence of carriers and the Venators.

"Get our ships in formation C-5. Star destroyers take point with escort ships guarding them. Carriers and support ships in the middle and back." Monatt ordered stroking his chin in contemplation.

"Sir, enemy ships are assuming formation with their fronts aimed at us." An officer on the bridge reported.

"All ships spread out. If they're going to try something we'll need all the space we can get. Ready all TIE fighters and other starfighters." The admiral replied.

The star destroyers their engines shone a bright blue as the helmsmen moved the large ships in position. All around the fleet crewmen were running to their stations. Gunners checked their turbolasers, pilots went to their cockpits, Stormtroopers were walking around in their normal patrol groups and officers were barking orders. The imperial fleet began approaching the UNSC fleet at an adequate pace.

Monatt narrowed his eyes sensing something was off. The UNSC ships made slight adjustments to their position. The imperial admiral grabbed his datapad and looked over it. He saw the hostile ships pointing themselves straight at his ships.

"Admiral I'm getting power readings showing the enemy ships are gathering energy at the front!" The sensor CO reported from his post.

Monatt widened his eyes in realization.

His guess about those cannons seemed to be very accurate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright first up I'd like to say a few things. In this story the UNSC will be able to stand up against the star wars universe. They have MAC cannons, Spartans, AI, well-trained soldiers, etc. But to make it less of a one-sided war the empire will get some 'boosts' in a way. For example there will be competent soldiers and officers, the shields will be better on star destroyers for example those of an ISD will be able to survive more than one MAC shot, TIE fighters will be equipped with two proton torpedoes and starfighters such as the TIE interceptor will be faster than a Longsword. Also this is a subject of many debates but in this story an interdictor will be able to prevent ships from entering slipspace, just so they have a real use. So to those that think the UNSC is vastly superior, you might be slightly disappointed but rest assured that the UNSC will have its own victories. Just don't forget that they have to fight an empire while still recovering from near extinction. Most of the first chapters will be from the empire's perspective but I have my reasons.**

 **So if you disagree with what's in this story please understand that this** _ **is**_ **fanfiction. I also want to point out that certain pieces will be short but others will be longer. And forgive me for bad spelling, English isn't exactly my mother language you know.**

 **That being said enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **UNSC** _ **Anchor**_

Admiral Kovalic frowned at the imperial fleet that kept on coming closer and closer. He had no idea what kind of weaponry they used nor other abilities. This was a first contact scenario just like with the Covenant all those years ago. Now he realized how the first defenders must have felt. It wasn't any day that an alien fleet arrived at your doorstep to fight.

"HIGHCOM should be receiving the message sir. Patrolling ships will reinforce us soon." The ship's AI Ares reported from the holotank.

Kovalic nodded and returned his gaze to the hostile ships.

"MAC cannons ready to fire sir!" The weapons CO announced.

Kovalic looked at the advancing imperial fleet with pure conviction in his eyes and ordered, "Open fire!"

The ship shook as the 600-ton slug left the cannon only to go straight towards the imperials. All the other cruisers, destroyers and frigates opened fire as well. The storm of MAC shots went at an immense speed and were headed towards the imperial fleet. A volley of death was coming for them.

Kovalic tensed and awaited the results.

* * *

 **ISD** _ **Grievous**_

"Incoming massive projectiles at a tremendous speed!" An ensign warned loudly.

Monatt widened his eyes in alarm at the news.

"Evasive actions! Power to the forward shields!" He ordered quickly.

The entire fleet began taking evasive maneuvers but the larger ships such as the Imperial-class star destroyers were too big to properly evade the shots. The lighter vessels did manage to get out of the UNSC's line of fire but the impact still came. The projectiles were just too fast to dodge.

Dozens of MAC slugs hit the imperial vessels. Victory-class star destroyers had their shields evaporate immediately with the projectiles punching straight through their hulls. Some destroyers went up in flames as a result. A duo of Acclamators each received a slug through their middle sections slicing the assault ships in two. Some Imperial-class star destroyers lost a good portion of their shields with one falling victim to five MACs. The destroyer lost chunks of its hull with many of the decks venting air. The star destroyer eventually fell apart with the projectiles dissecting it. One of the Interdictors that got hit lost power and floated to the left into another Victory-class star destroyer which caused both of their demises. A few shots had missed their targets and flew away harmlessly.

Monatt's ship was no exception. The ship shook as two projectiles slammed into it. Luckily the second one ricocheted away due to the shields being strong enough to actually fend off a MAC. Monatt grabbed the console in front of him to balance himself. Some of the crew members fell on the floor with all the commotion. As the shaking stopped the admiral got back up in his normal stance. Monatt had to admit he was surprised. A bit of sweat dripped off his head as he felt raw fear creep into his soul. He wiped it away and got back to business only because of his military experience.

"Status report!" He demanded getting everyone's attention.

One of the ensigns worked furiously at her console and reported, "Our shields have dropped down to fifty five percent admiral. We're getting reports of minor injuries around the ship."

"We're also sealing of deck eight and seven. A few minor hull breaches."

Monatt nodded and asked, "What about the rest of the fleet?"

"We lost eleven Victories, an Interdictor, three Venators, two star destroyers, two Acclamators and two light cruisers. We were lucky to have survived so many projectiles but many of our ships have been damaged or had their shields drained." An officer answered while rubbing at a bruise she got from her own fall.

Monatt grimaced and looked at the UNSC's ships. He had never expected a volley of projectiles to be so devastating. He had no idea when the enemy could fire again so he chose not to waste any time.

"Keep going forward. Launch fighters to damage them while we advance." The admiral commanded with resolve.

Aboard all ships the pilots donned their black helmets while entering their fighters. The pilots revved up the engines of the TIEs to get going as soon as possible. The clamps holding the fighters released the crafts at the command of the hangar controls and the fighters floated a bit before they flew away towards the battle. Dozens of fighters came out of each ship's hangar with each squadron assuming formation.

The swarms of TIE fighters, interceptors, bombers, defenders and other crafts advanced forward at a far more faster pace than the warships.

A fact that the UNSC noticed.

The UNSC fleet launched its own fighters as the various craft exited their own hangars. Longswords along with Broadswords flew ahead of the human fleet with the intention to intercept the incoming fighters.

"Be advised, hostile fighters incoming." Flight control said through the comms.

"Mynock squadron, adjust your course towards sector M-3. Green squadron along with three other squadrons will join you." The pilots of Mynock squadron heard in their comms.

Mynock leader responded with, "Understood control. Adjusting course now."

The TIE interceptor squadron went to the left along with the other fighters to flank the enemy. Mynock leader noticed some of the hostile fighters broke off to stop them. According to the scanners a group of twenty went after theirs consisting out of thirty-five fighters. The groups of each side flew towards the other intending to beat the other.

A warning alert from the fighter told Mynock leader that he was being locked on. Apparently it was the same with others.

"I'm getting locked on." Mynock five reported calmly.

Mynock three added, "Same here."

"Evasive maneuvers." Mynock leader ordered.

The UNSC fighters finally fired their missiles at the TIEs. Mynock squadron spread trying to outrun the missiles but UNSC armament was stubborn. It took all of the TIE interceptors their speed and maneuverability to evade the rockets. Mynock leader sighed in relief but the other squadrons weren't so lucky.

Multiple TIE fighters were blown up by the missiles as they failed to shake them off. Two squadrons lost at least half of their fighters. The TIEs were shattered with wreckage floating at all sides.

The TIE fighters had not been sitting idly though. Just before the missiles came at them all of the TIEs had acquired a lock on the Longswords. A volley of proton torpedoes was launched going for the Longswords. The UNSC fighters tried to dodge and was quite adept at it but a few fighters were struck by the torpedoes. One of them had its left wing blow apart making the fighter spiral out of control before finally going down as a fireball.

The Longswords retaliated with their guns spewing out projectiles at the TIEs. The bullets ripped the panels apart or pierced the cockpit including the pilot. Many TIEs failed to stay clear of their foe's line of fire. Mynock squadron went after a trio of Longswords harassing TIEs from green squadron.

The laser cannons of the interceptors were firing lasers relentlessly at the UNSC fighters. The pilots of the crafts performed rolls and other dodging movements but they were all felled by the rain of lasers coming from the interceptors. The lasers burned through the hulls igniting the inner workings. The UNSC pilots stood no chance once their hulls were breached. With those foes out of commission the interceptors turned around to protect the other TIEs.

The Longsword pilots were experienced and had better fighters but the advantage the TIEs had in numbers played a big role. For each TIE a fighter would shoot down two would come after it. To make things worse other TIEs had arrived to aid their fellow imperials.

"Mynock two and four with me. I spotted the enemy commander if the markings are any indication." Mynock leader ordered while fiddling with some of the equipment in the cockpit of his TIE interceptor.

Two interceptors quickly arrived at his side and followed him as he went after the Longsword bearing the markings of an officer.

Mynock leader was surprised by the skill that the UNSC pilot possessed. Even with three interceptors coming after the craft with laser cannons blazing it managed to dodge every laser bolt. The Longsword then performed a 180 degrees spin and opened fire at them. Mynock leader dodged along with Mynock four but two was sliced apart by the heavy projectiles the foe shot at them. The interceptor ignited immediately and fell apart.

The two remaining interceptors split up allowing the hostile pilot to pass. Mynock leader noticed the Longsword going after his other escort. Mynock four skillfully dodged every projectile shot at her by the UNSC fighter. The interceptor leader revved up his engines and used his superior speed to follow the UNSC fighter.

Mynock leader narrowed his eyes behind the helmet and adjusted a few firing settings as he chased the Longsword. The screen in the cockpit showed that the fighter was still being locked on. Meanwhile Mynock four grunted as a stray bullet hit her left wing. Some of it sparked but no serious damage.

"Mynock leader I'm not going to last long. Some backup would be appreciated." She said through the comm while going down left with the Longsword hot on her trail.

"On it four. Hang on tight." Mynock leader replied while locking on.

Mynock four kept on dodging until a light began to go off along with an alarm. "I'm being locked on by missiles!"

Just as the Longsword pilot was about to fire his missiles at the evading interceptor he was hit by a green laser bolt. One bolt became two and then three and so on. It was within seconds that the engine was hit along with some of the munitions. The pilot exploded in flames thanks to the TIE interceptor that flew past the wreckage. The TIE interceptor then slowed down to fly at the side of the other interceptor.

"Thanks for the rescue sir." Four told her squadron leader.

Mynock leader let out a sigh and responded with, "No problem four. These fighters are far tougher than we expected them to be. It takes a large amount of blasterfire to take them down."

"Agreed. Looks like we held out huh?" Mynock four said as they flew back towards the engagement between TIEs and Longswords.

"We're not out of this yet. According to comm chatter we're suffering heavy losses. Let's give the others some support." Mynock leader replied while grimacing as he saw another TIE being destroyed by the UNSC.

Monatt frowned deeply at the report he received by the ensign to his left. Apparently the starfighters employed by the UNSC were superior to the TIE series. If he didn't have the numbers to overwhelm the thinly stretched out hostile fighters he would lose the fighter battle within the hour. Luckily the fighters used by his foe couldn't handle the speed of the faster TIE series. At least some of the fighters and bombers had broken through. They had attacked the escort ships surrounding the larger UNSC ships but even then it was difficult. The anti-fighter turrets of his enemy were strong and could shoot projectiles at an astonishing fast rate. Most of the fighters and bombers were shot down before retreating. At least the payload of the TIE bombers had disabled a frigate and damaged others.

"Admiral we are in firing range!" One of the officer shouted out to him.

That was probably some of the best news he got that day. A grin formed itself on Monatt's face. His enemy might have fired the first shot but now it was his turn to lash out.

Monatt raised his arm and pointed it at the UNSC fleet.

"To all ships, fire all batteries!" He shouted with a fire in his eyes.

Immediately all imperial vessels capable to do so aimed their turbolasers and ion cannons. Proton torpedoes and concussion missiles were used as well to make a symphony of death and destruction. It was a bright display of light as more than a thousand laser bolts coursed through space towards the UNSC ships. The point-defense guns on the warships came to life as they fended off the hordes of torpedoes and missiles. While effective against those weapons they did little against the laser bolts and ionized particles.

The result was devastating.

The laser bolts of the turbolasers slammed into the shielded hulls of the UNSC ships. The volley was so powerful that many shields were lost as the lasers kept on pounding on them. Hulls were melted and burned through thanks to the extreme heat of the lasers. Several frigates erupted in flames as they took the brunt of the attack. They weren't the only victims though. Even the cruisers and destroyers were damaged as several decks were exposed to the icy grip of space. Crew members were evaporated or jettisoned in space. The missiles and torpedoes, while many were intercepted, still dealt a small amount of damage to the enemy fleet.

As fires and explosions raged on in the fleet's ranks the imperial admiral gave a slight smirk.

"Get me a status update on the enemy fleet." Monatt ordered while most turbolasers recharged after such a heavy bombardment. Only the smaller weapons kept on firing.

An ensign looked up from his console and reported, "The enemy has suffered a lot of casualties with their frigate-sized ships. A few of their larger ships were either disabled or destroyed."

"Good, resume firing once all turrets have recharged and-" Monatt began but was interrupted by the sensor officer.

"Admiral! The enemy is going to fire their cannons again!" The warning came.

Monatt widened his eyes and quickly turned his attention the communication officer.

"All ships are to strengthen forward shields! Keep enough distance and evade if possible."

The communication officer nodded and hurried to get the job done. The imperials began spreading out but the UNSC was faster. All of the remaining ships fired their MACs again at the hostile vessels. Along with the MAC cannons came swarms of archer missiles. Monatt was astonished by the huge amount of them and they were headed for his fleet.

Before the admiral could order anything else the MAC rounds struck. Once again pure devastation was unleashed upon the imperial vessels. One of the ISDs had a MAC round punch a hole straight through its left side. The side of the destroyer fell apart with hull pieces floating everywhere along with the dead crew. Monatt braced himself just in time as another one hit his own ship.

It didn't stop there. The archer missiles were still coming for them.

"TIEs are to intercept those missiles along with our point-defense lasers!" Monatt yelled loud enough to be heard.

Some interceptors and fighters broke off from their original route as they went towards the incoming missiles. Their laser cannons spewed out as much laser bolts as they could at the archer missiles. Some of the UNSC missiles were destroyed on contact but it didn't do as much as Monatt had hoped.

Next up came the point-defense lasers of the imperials in play. Bright lasers flew at the incoming weapons destroying a hefty amount of them. Even with all of those turrets the point-defense weapons were not as good as those of their foe. It didn't help either that ships such as the imperial-class star destroyer did not have a lot of point-defense lasers due to it being designed for fighting other capital ships. Many archer missiles slammed into the already weakened shields of the imperials. Chunks of metal were ripped apart by the explosive armament of the defenders. Heaps of wreckage began to float around the wounded imperial fleet.

Some of the bridge crew members fell again including the troopers standing on guard. Monatt heard a few strings of curses and couldn't help but agree. Being the target of those cannons and missiles was excruciatingly dreadful.

Monatt hissed as he couldn't get up immediately. A storm trooper who had recovered already quickly got him back up on his feet. Monatt thanked the trooper who kept on supporting him by letting him lean on the soldier's shoulder.

"How many ships did we lose?" He asked still being shaken by the impact.

"Three star destroyers, six more Victories, three Acclamators, two Venators and another Interdictor. A light carrier was completely blow apart." Someone managed to say.

Monatt silently nodded and gazed at an ensign who was being hauled away by two storm troopers. The young man had his neck at an abnormal angle and did not move nor respond.

"Tell all of our ships to recommence firing at the enemy. The ISD _Wampa_ will advance on their right flank along with two Victories and two Venators. Make sure they get enough fighter and bomber support. Once they create enough cover the assault ships will go past them and land on the surface." Monatt commanded narrowing his eyes at Harvest.

* * *

 **UNSC** _ **Anchor**_

"Alright, give me some insight here Ares. How many?" Kovalic asked the AI as he sat in his command chair. His head was resting on his intertwined hands as he leaned forward.

The AI's avatar frowned and answered with, "We only have five Halcyons, eight Paris-class frigates, three Autumn-class cruisers, two Charon-class frigates, four Marathons, two Halberd-class destroyers and one Poseidon-class carrier left. Not to mention all are partially damaged."

Kovalic cursed quietly.

"That's more than half of our original strength." He remarked with a grimace.

"Indeed sir." Ares said with a nod. "But the enemy has suffered as well. Of the hundred vessels they arrived with only 65 remain including those small escort ships that we've partially ignored so far. Those things don't appear to be sturdy enough to fight our larger ships."

"Still not enough." Kovalic said shaking his head.

"Admiral Kovalic sir, you might want to hear this." The comm officer spoke up from his station.

Kovalic raised an eyebrow and stood up from his seat. He ignored the explosions raging on outside as he walked towards the communication station.

"What is it?" He asked calmly.

The comm officer pushed a few buttons opening a connection to a UNSC vessel.

The comm came to life as someone said, "This is captain Samwell of the UNSC _Alligator_ , we're inbound with other patrol ships to reinforce you. I hope you'll let us do our part sir."

Kovalic sighed in relief. "Any support would be appreciated captain. We're outnumbered by the enemy and could use a hand over here. How many ships do you have with you?"

"I'm in command of a Marathon-class cruiser. I also have three Charon-class frigates, two Paris-class frigates, two Halberd-class destroyers and finally a Poseidon-class carrier." Samwell replied.

Kovalic figured it would be enough to at least hurt the imperials. He knew this battle would be lost if he stayed to fight 'till the last man. The orders he had received dictated he had to leave if overrun anyways. It was better that way, he could tell HIGHCOM everything he learned the past hour.

"Do your best sailor. Admiral Kovalic out."

A small group UNSC ships suddenly appeared on the radars at the sidelines. They fired their MAC cannons as soon as possible catching the imperials off guard. More shields were drained and more ships were disabled or destroyed. As a few Victories and an ISD went up in flames a small smile tugged at the corner of Kovalic's mouth. The imperials would indeed face a stubborn foe.

"Admiral, a group of enemy warships is attacking our right flank. They are reporting heavy damage." One of the ensigns told Kovalic who narrowed his eyes.

"Why would they do that?" He said softly while pondering on his foe's move.

Kovalic's eyes wandered over the enemy fleet. Now that enough distance had been crossed all weapons were at work on both sides. The death ratio had risen considerably as well. The initial barrage of laser bolts was far more powerful than what the empire had thrown at him at first so Kovalic could assume the weapons needed to recharge to fire such a powerful barrage. Another thing was the shields on the enemy ships. The largest triangular destroyers had immensely powerful shields being able to stop a few MAC slugs. The smaller ones were less powerful in the shields department but could take a hit.

The admiral stopped pondering as his gaze settled on some of the smaller vessels that so far had been kept in the back. They were all going for the right flank. Kovalic reviewed what his enemy had done. They sent in a small group of warships to occupy his ships on the right. Not destroy, but occupy. Now these assault ships were going there but kept a good distance.

The group of warships was covering their approach as they went for Harvest!

"I want archer missiles fired at those advancing assault ships. They're probably headed for Harvest." Kovalic ordered.

"As you command sir." Ares answered while alerting the other cruisers.

A salvo of archer missiles was launched and directed at the Acclamators. The imperials noticed this and used their point-defense lasers to halt the missile strike. Various TIEs that escorted the assault ships also fired at the horde. Many were shot down but a good amount of them hit the Acclamators. Unfortunately only two were destroyed with the others either damaged or completely functional. The Acclamators crossed the distance and passed the fighting fleets going straight for Harvest. A total amount of thirteen imperial assault ships began their descent on Harvest. Each one of them carrying around 3200 troops not including all the air and armored units.

Kovalic could only watch and hope the ground defenders could hold out against their new foe.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **UNSC base 'Shadow Castle'**

 **Command center**

"What do you mean they're at the Round Valley?!" Colonel Stanfield demanded.

The scout gulped nervously but repeated what he found out. "Ma'am, those imperials have landed thirteen ships at Round Valley and are offloading troops along with equipment as we speak. We were almost spotted but we saw them placing walls and turrets. They're probably turning the place into one big base."

Stanfield growled in frustration but nodded.

"Well done soldier. Go get some food and then link up with your assigned squad." Stanfield ordered.

The scout saluted before leaving the command center of the base. Major Olsson brought up the pictures taken by the scouting party and whistled at the amount of troops.

"That's a lot of them. I'm going to assume those soldiers in white armor are their basic infantry. Too bad we don't have anything on their armored vehicles." He said while watching a storm trooper who appeared to be carrying a crate.

"We can't afford to have only assumptions. We need real intel on their combat capacities. It would be easier if we actually had those satellites in space." Stanfield grumbled.

"Thank government bureaucracy for that." Olsson scoffed.

Captain Bradley then stepped forward saying, "Colonel, if they landed there they'll be going after the capital. Our base is what is standing between them and the city."

"I know that," Stanfield said "but in case you haven't noticed they outnumber us with a large margin. That's why we'll stop them at three checkpoints."

"Checkpoints?" Olsson asked with a confused expression.

Stanfield nodded and brought up a map of the area.

"If they landed at Round Valley they'll have only three ways to use unless they want to be delayed by almost half a day. The surrounding hills and mountains would slow them down considerably. Therefore they'll want to go through this base since it's the fastest way to go plus to neutralize any threat.." Stanfield explained.

Bradley nodded and said, "So you want them to divert their forces and fight them in enclosed areas."

"Indeed. The pass has already been turned into an outpost by lieutenant Cosby who is currently there with enough forces to hold that position. Next up is the highway that leads just past the base. Seeing as that will be their main target I want a checkpoint placed at the position where the mountains almost touch each other. It's narrow enough to fight our enemy on equal footing. As for our third checkpoint there is still the forest. A few sensor posts along with gun emplacements and enough soldiers will stop or at least delay infantry attacks." Stanfield said revealing her plan.

"The enemy will be ready to march out soon. If we want those checkpoints ready we'll need to be fast." Olsson spoke up.

"That's why you two will be in charge. Olsson, you're in command of the forest checkpoint. Bradley, you'll be in charge of the highway checkpoint. Cosby will lead the defense at the pass checkpoint while I'll coordinate everything from here." Stanfield answered with determination.

Olsson cracked his knuckles and told them, "I don't know about you Bradley but I'm going to enjoy being out in the field again."

Bradley flashed him a grin. "Wanna bet I'll take out more than you?"

"In your dreams." Olsson laughed.

Stanfield cleared her throat gaining the attention of the two males.

"If you two are done betting then get going. Every second counts." She ordered.

As the two officers left the command center another officer stepped inside. This one wore the SpecOps uniform and had the rank of captain. Stanfield recognized him as sergeant Xuan Yong. Just like the Spartans used by the navy the army recently introduced the army special ops soldier. They wore a set of armor similar to those of the ODSTs but their helmet was more like the military police helmet. Their armor was also in an olive green. The new SpecOps of the army was made with the intention to create a special response team able to devastate enemies in the back by the use of sabotage and assassination. The insignia on the captain's shoulder resembled a viper and was the symbol of the 5th SpecOps division named the Vipers.

"You wanted to see me ma'am?" Yong asked politely.

"Indeed soldier." Stanfield answered. "I want you and the other Vipers to attack the enemy forward base when they launch an assault."

"Details of the mission?"

"You'll be going by Warthogs through the tunnel to the east of the mountain pass. It's been sealed off and hard to find so the enemy won't expect you to get past them that way. Once you're at the enemy base you're going to deal as much damage as you can. Sabotage, assassination, intel gathering I don't care. Just get the job done. Your escape route is the tunnel but in case you won't be able to take that path I'll have a Pelican ready." Stanfield explained.

The SpecOps captain nodded in agreement.

"I'll get the boys ready."

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Forward imperial base**

 **Acclamator** _ **Alexo**_

Major general Braxis Durame, the commanding officer of the 105th corps, was looking at the plains where the Acclamators had landed recently. From his position on the bridge of the _Alexo_ he found their landing point to be of good quality. The Acclamators were well-protected against hostile attacks with the TIEs patrolling the surrounding area. Already a base was being established with walls, barricades, depots and turbolasers. Engineers were working at an excellent pace to make sure the ships and troops were protected.

The occupied plains were full with imperial personnel doing their duties. More and more troops were being landed from other ships aside from the assault ships on the ground. It was tricky and difficult but the pilots were no pushovers. Now it was up to Braxis to coordinate the ground troops and start assaulting the nearest city. Planetary scans showed that the largest population center was close to his position, the capital of Harvest. There weren't many cities or settlements on the planet but then again he had been informed of the planet's terrible history.

"General, the shield generators are ready to be activated." A lieutenant reported while standing at attention.

"Very well then. Activate them so we won't get hit by an airstrike or anything else that these marines can throw at us." Durame replied.

From the viewports he saw the three large shield generators come to life as a blue dome of energy was created above the base and the ships. Durame then turned away towards the holotable with the other officers standing there. Some wore armor but others simply had the standard imperial officer uniform on.

"Now that the base has been finished we'll finally begin the ground assault. Intel gathered by scans and scout troopers indicate that there are three possible ways to attack the hostile military base that blocks our path. A highway, a forest and a mountain pass. Our heavier armor is only able to go through the highway. On the other hand the forest only allows infantry and light vehicles. We have air support but be careful with calling them. The enemy could have AA weaponry." Durame said bringing up the various locations.

He spent around ten minutes giving orders so the attack from three sides would go without problems on their side. When everything was done the officers left and went to their units. The imperials began marching towards their objectives after the order was given.

Dozens of storm troopers were walking in rows with tanks moving along with them.

From the base's command center Durame watched as his forces went to battle.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Rocky pass**

"Any sign of them yet?" Lieutenant Cosby asked a marine who was perched on one of the high rocks at the mountain pass.

"Nothing yet sir." The marine answered while looking through binoculars.

Cosby frowned and took another look at the defenses. The pass wasn't particularly small but it would still be difficult for a huge amount of troops to get through. Cosby had two Scorpions at the ready in an entrenched position along with marines. On the higher ground were several MG nests and they even had a Cobra to destroy hostile vehicles. A few sniper positions would aid in their defense as well. Cosby figured that even with all of their fortifications to protect them they would be overrun so he had some of the engineers place charges to cause a collapse. It would buy them enough time and hold the enemy off.

"Sergeant Kowalski, are your ODSTs ready?" Cosby asked.

The veteran ODST with blue markings gave a short laugh in response.

"Always ready to kick some alien butt." He said sinisterly.

"Hostiles inbound!" The marine yelled from his spot.

Cosby used the camera of his Grizzly to look at the beginning of the pass. Large groups of white-armored soldiers and a few tanks were approaching them.

"You can begin soon enough sergeant." Cosby told the ODST.

Iglesias kissed the small cross he had in the tank and prayed for protection.

"Fire the mortars!" Cosby ordered loudly.

A few marines in the back put the mortar rounds in the launchers and covered their ears as the mortars fired. The projectiles soared through the sky before falling on the storm troopers. The explosion threw the troopers away in every direction. Their armor was splintered and shattered just like the bodies of the troopers.

"Enemy in firing range!" Rickson told his commander while aiming the gun of the tank.

"All units, open fire!" Cosby commanded.

Every marine and ODST began firing their rifles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, machine guns and cannons at the imperial line. Storm troopers fell lifelessly on the ground as their bodies were peppered by the hailstorm of bullets.

The Grizzly tank aimed for a squad of troopers and fired two shells at them. When they hit the spot of the enemy the squad was obliterated by the powerful attack of the tank. The remains of the troopers were flung aside.

The MG nests were pretty much ripping bodies apart. Their rain of bullets killed many troopers who were out in the open and it didn't look like they would be advancing with those guns there. A storm trooper thought to take a shot at the marines but at least four bullets from an MG killed him as soon as he popped out of cover. This discouraged the rest of the troopers of trying to go out there.

As the situation seemed to be growing more dire for the imperials a heavy laser bolt soared through the air and hit one of the MG nests. The soldier manning the gun was evaporated by the deadly ruby bolt along with the machine gun. The UNSC side looked for the culprit and found it in the form of a 2-M repulsor tank. The imperial repulsortank was a vehicle based on the Republic Interceptor TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank but with better weaponry and deflector shields. The cannon on the top of the tank turned slightly to the left and fired another shot. This time it hit an unlucky marine to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Cosby saw four more of them driving towards the UNSC defenders. A few shouts were all it took for the Grizzly and the two Scorpions to target the hovering tanks. The first shell was shot by one of the Scorpions with a loud thunder-like sound. The imperial driver of a 2-M repulsor tank was shaken to the core when it hit. The man was frightened by the fact that only one shot depleted the deflector shields and put a dent in the armor plating.

The tank at his side aimed its cannon and fired in retaliation. The ruby bolt left the cannon's barrel and struck the Scorpion. It didn't destroy the tank due to its sturdy armor but a hefty amount of it burned away by the immense heat the laser bolt produced. The other tanks fired as well filling the battlefield with more loud noises that echoed throughout the pass.

Cosby smirked as another hovering tank blew up when his tank struck it.

"Boss you might want to see this." Iglesias spoke up urgently.

"What is it driver?" Cosby asked puzzled.

Rickson ignored the two of them as he focused on dealing with the enemy tanks. From behind the smoldering wreckage of a 2-M repulsortank a storm trooper stepped forward before crouching. The man was narrowing his eyes behind the helmet he wore as he hefted his PLX-1 portable missile launcher or also known as the plex rocket launcher. These rocket launchers were some of the most powerful in the imperial army. The man was specially trained to use it and showed he has that experience. The rocket left the launcher going straight for one of the Scorpions. The rocket hit the turret obliterating the already weakened armor causing a chain of explosions that resulted in the tank's destruction. The driver didn't even have the time to escape.

"I'm getting a sign of enemy aircraft over here." Iglesias warned as the scanner went off.

Cosby widened his eyes knowing fully well that it was possible for enemy aircraft breaking through.

"Attention all forces, we have enemy aircraft inbound! All anti-air is to target those fighters!" Cosby ordered throughout the comm network.

Soon the sound of TIE fighters could be heard as five of them flew through the clouds. The fighters suddenly began their descent.

Multiple marines grabbed their rocket launchers and tried to get a lock on the agile fighters. Simultaneously the rockets were launched forcing the fighters to evade. Two of them were destroyed in the process as the rockets slammed into their frames. While the wreckage fell down below the other three started a strafing run on the marines. Green laser bolts descended upon them like lightening frightening a few marines who weren't veterans. Holes were made in the ground and bodies either flung away or evaporated. Some of the MGs opened fire on the fighters damaging one's left panel. While the wreckage of the two destroyed TIEs fell on both storm troopers and marines the smoking TIE crashed down on the last remaining Scorpion. The two surviving TIEs then retreated back to the base.

"We lost both tanks sir!" An ODST reported to his commanding officer who grunted.

"Yeah but they lost their tanks and a hefty amount of troops." The man replied slamming another clip into his rifle.

"Looks like they realized that as well. They're pulling back." Another ODST said.

A few soldiers looked over their cover at the retreating troopers. The imperial commander realized a different approach would be needed to break through the UNSC lines. While many troopers left with a heavy heart the marines shouted out in celebration as the invaders were falling back.

Cosby let out a sigh and slumped back into his seat. The first wave had been taxing and more were to come.

"Gather the dead and wounded. Make sure everyone gets prepared for another assault and get some rest if the enemy decides to wait a bit longer." He ordered through the comm network.

With that he climbed out of the tank to get some fresh air.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Streln forest**

Commander LG-0783, known as Jesmark to his troopers, carefully walked forward through the forest with his troopers at his side. Being a commissioned officer he had the blue markings over his otherwise white plastoid armor. His trusty modified E-11 blaster rifle was hefted in front of him to take down any assailant that might come out of nowhere.

The trooper at his side wearing an orange pauldron was his second-in-command LG-4556 or Jek to his fellow troopers. Both were part of beta platoon of the 105th corps and were currently tasked making a path through the forest so they could reach the enemy base.

Jesmark watched the rustling leaves of the autumn forest pass by undisturbed. He didn't like the lack of intel on his foes so decided to play it safe.

Aside from his storm troopers he had also scout troopers, shock troopers, flame troopers and heavy troopers.

The scout troopers would provide excellent reconnaissance and long range support to the main battlegroup. With their lighter armor their agility was better than that of the standard trooper.

Secondly the shock troopers who were distinguished by their red markings carried DLT-19 heavy blasters into battle. They had better protective armor and were excellent in breaking enemy lines.

The flame troopers wore armor with darker red markings than the shock troopers. It was also resistant to heat and protected the trooper against the flames from the flamethrower that the trooper would carry into battle.

Lastly the heavy troopers had black colored armor at some places along with the white offering more protection. They carried rotary blasters that resembled chain guns to the UNSC.

Jesmark didn't doubt his odds but something in his mind told him that it was going to be very difficult. He was glad he had some AT-STs and AT-RTs with him to provide support.

Jek suddenly raised his hand to his helmet touching the side of his comm. Jesmark knew it had to be something important, most likely the scout troopers reporting something.

Jek spoke something in his comm before turning his focus to his commander.

"Sir, scouts have reported hostile fortifications up ahead." Jek told him.

Jesmark gave the sign for the platoon to stop. Everyone halted in their tracks as the command was relayed at a practiced fast rate.

"What are we up against?" He asked bracing himself for the worst.

Jek started listing the enemy fortifications off, "Foxholes, a few trenches, probably mines, barbed wire of all things, sandbags, some sort of turrets and light vehicles with the same type of turret on it."

"What kind of vehicles? Speeders?" Jesmark asked curiously.

Jek scoffed, "They have actual wheels sir."

"Wheels? How primitive can one be for kriff's sake?" Jesmark asked incredulously.

Jek just shrugged his shoulders. Jesmark shook his head and commanded the column to move forward.

A few minutes passed by before they reached the area where the enemy would be.

The storm trooper commander activated his commlink by touching the side of his helmet and said, "Set up mortars and start a barrage."

A few troopers jogged forward carrying the deployable mortars on their backs. They placed them on the ground and set them up before loading the first rounds. A chorus of 'boom' was heard by the others as the rounds left the mortars. They first went high in the air before falling down a good distance away. The explosions threw dirt in the air and some trees lost their foundation. But it was the sound of human screams that showed the first barrage's success.

"Again!" He shouted forcefully.

The troopers reloaded the mortars and fired again. Just like before explosions shook the ground and caused loud deafening noises. More screams could be heard and one louder explosion signaled the elimination of something flammable.

"Platoon, forward!" Jesmark commanded with a motioning gesture.

Simultaneously the imperial troopers marched forward with weapons aimed in front of them.

As soon as the first storm trooper set foot in the firing range of the UEG soldiers bullets started flying. Storm troopers fell on the forest soil with their armor punctured and shattered by the storm of deadly projectiles. Troopers ran for cover and answered their enemy's greeting with laser bolts.

Through the smoke of craters caused by mortar fire and the forest environment the troopers spotted the defenders. The marines were equipped with the standard armor but had some plants strapped to it for camouflage. One trooper even got a good look at the advanced looking projectile rifle. if one thought went through the imperials their minds it was that for primitives they fought quite well.

A squad of troopers ran with great speed for a crater with bullets flying past them. Two were hit and downed by the marines who watched in satisfaction as the white armored men hit the ground. The others of the squad jumped into the hole in the ground to save their own lives. They all went for their backs and grabbed their thermal detonators so they could activate them. The troopers then quickly threw the detonators at the enemy lines. Every marine close to a detonator was instantly vaporized by the grenades.

"Enemy turret up ahead!" A trooper warned others who were crouching forward carrying an E-web.

"We've got to set this up before can start shooting them!" The gunner yelled as a rocket impacted between two troopers who were obliterated as a result.

"Got it, we'll provide covering fire." A sergeant spoke up and gathered a few troopers.

While the E-web crew were setting the heavy repeating blaster up a group of troopers gathered around at the beckoning by the sergeant. They all started blasting the marines to gain their attention. It worked flawlessly as the UNSC shifted its attention to the troopers. Within moments the MG was firing ruthlessly at the storm troopers. Three were peppered by the seemingly endless stream of bullets.

The marines were in for a surprise though when the E-web was ready. The gunner quickly shot some heavy blaster bolts at the MG which melted the metal plating of the gun. Within moments the gun blew up in the face of the marine who was using it. With the turret taken down and a few marines diving for cover the storm troopers came out of hiding to blast the defenders.

Jesmark cursed profoundly when another trooper was downed by the UNSC marines.

"AT-STs up front! Provide cover fire for our advance!" He ordered through the commlinks.

The marines raised eyebrows as some sort of chicken walker appeared on the battlefield along with others.

The imperial combat walker with chin-mounted laser cannons, side-mounted weapon pods and a concussion grenade launcher turned its weaponry towards the defensive line of marines and started attacking. The chin-mounted laser cannons proved to be far more deadly than the standard imperial blaster as the bolts killed enemies while burning the small area they were standing in. The marines who had never seen such a vehicle opened fire on it but small weaponry proved to be very useless against its armor.

One of the walkers' AT-ST drivers pushed a few buttons aiming the grenade launcher. With a final push he launched a couple of concussion grenades at a marine position. The entire squad was blown to bits by the grenades and the only survivor was squashed by the metal feet of the walker as it marched over the bodies.

As an AT-ST stepped forward it was suddenly hit by a gauss cannon of a Warthog causing the damaged vehicle to stumble. Its left side was scorched and had a large dent in it now. It slowly turned its head towards the Warthog and just before the cannon fired again the walker launched its rocket from a weapon pod. Both vehicles sent each other to their doom at the exact same time as a result. The Warthog rolled away in flames and what was left of the walker toppled over.

The AT-STs began encountering more and more resistance with the marines using rocket launchers and Warthogs they kept in reserve but by now the damage had been done. Numerous gaps left the UNSC vulnerable since they were unable to refill those positions. More and more troopers ran forward to flank and outfight the enemy.

Sergeant LG-9327 broke through with a whole bunch of other troopers and turned around to address her soldiers.

"Alright we're going sideways to the right. I want flame troopers to burn the bantha fodder in those trenches! Let's show the strength of the storm trooper corps!" She ordered with vigor encouraging the others.

A marine who had been so focused on the enemy in front of him was in for it when the troopers flanked the marines. While sitting behind a tree taking shots at the imperials with his DMR he was suddenly kicked in the side. He gave a startled and pained cry as he fell on his back. When he looked up he only saw the barrel of a blaster before being shot right in the face. The body squirmed only once with a blackened smoking hole in his forehead and glazed eyes staring out with not a single hint of emotion in them.

One of the entrenched marines crouched as another load of dirt was hurled over him by a grenade. He coughed a bit to get the dust out of his lungs and wiped away the soil that got in his eyes. When he wiped it all away and could see again he was quite surprised to see a trooper with red markings standing behind his trench. With a quick glance to the strange-looking gun it the trooper's hands he deducted it was bad news. Before the marine could yell out in warning or raise his weapon the flame trooper unleashed a deadly wave of soaring flames. The marine who was engulfed by the flames cried out in agonizing pain as he was devoured alive by the intense heat. The trooper swayed the flamethrower a bit catching other marines in its wave of destruction.

The same happened with a heavy trooper who readied his rotary blaster. The spinning weapon unleashed a hail of blaster bolts killing many marines that sat in their trench. The marines had scorch marks all over their ravaged bodies when the trooper left.

All around the forward defensive lines the marines encountered troopers coming from all sides with blasters, grenades and flamethrowers. A retreat was issued to return to the second line of defense but the marines that gave a run for it were mowed down by shock troopers and their heavy blasters. It was a horrifying sight as the defenders were shot by the troopers in the red armor that walked forward slowly with the intent to kill all in their path.

Jesmark gave a small smirk as he saw the pitiful attempt of the marines to run away. He grabbed a pair of electrobinoculars and tried to spot the enemy's position. When he saw the enemy waiting for the imperials to come closer he activated his commlink.

"Mortar team, open fire on the coordinates I'm about to send." He ordered before switching to the entire comm channel. "All forces halt until the mortar barrage ends!"

The troopers refilled the mortars and let them go off again. The sound of thunder once more made itself known to the combatants as the mortar rounds struck the area between the imperials who were occupying the first line of defenses and the second, and final, UNSC line of defense. As the mortar rounds struck the ground multiple explosions went off.

The smirk underneath Jesmark's helmet became a full grin. His hunch about mines was correct after all. While using the electrobinoculars he had noticed the marines were all retreating the exact same way. That had to mean they were evading mines that were meant to kill his troops.

"Mortar team, silence your mortars. Switch to dioxis grenades and bombard the back of their lines. Sending coordinates now."

One of the mortar crewmen gave a short, "Sir, yes sir!"

With a satisfied nod the commander switched the channel to that of Jek.

"Advance forward. I've given the order to gas the enemy so be careful out there." Jesmark told his second-in-command.

"Understood sir." Came the short reply from the other trooper.

LG-0783 gave another nod and went back to his improvised command post to inform his superiors the forest would be cleared within the hour or so. Hopefully they would capture some of the marines to get some intel on those intriguing weapons.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Forward imperial base**

"Incoming report from commander Jesmark general." A ensign told the general who stood at the holotable musing about what to do.

"What does it say?" Durame asked eager for results.

The imperial read the message, "The forest has been secured. The platoon has suffered slightly more than average casualties. The enemy has retreated but we have captured some of their soldiers including their commanding officer. Requesting a transport to pick the prisoners up and reinforcements to strengthen our hold on the area."

"Tell him that we'll have troops reinforce him along with transports to move the prisoners." The general said and turned away but before he left he quickly added, "And tell him that his platoon has done a great job."

Durame walked away and exited the command center. Two troopers with black pauldrons carrying heavy blasters went with him as a security escort. He walked through the hallway of the building that was put in place and made his way towards the comm center. He wanted an update on the situation at the pass before making any other decisions.

Upon arrival the troopers standing guard saluted and opened the door for him. Once he was inside he activated the holocommunicator by typing in a security code. The visage of an officer with dirt on his face greeted him.

With a raised eyebrow he asked, "Where is major Trux?"

"He's dead sir." The man answered with a frightened expression.

"And how is the attack going then?" The general demanded knowing he was in for bad news.

"Not good sir. Those UNSC soldiers are tough and have superior fortifications. At first we managed to take down some of their defenses but that was because of our tanks and an air strike. Now all we have left is a couple of AT-STs and our infantry. There is some sort of tank out there able to destroy a fighter tank in only one shot!" The officer replied hastily. Over the sound of the man's voice the general could hear the echoes of explosions.

"Very well then. Call off the attack and bide your time. I will send air support along with additional reinforcements." Durame ordered. The officer nodded before the connection was severed.

With a frown Durame realized that losses were starting to pile up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Harvest**

 **UNSC** _ **Anchor**_

Things were not looking well for Kovalic. Not one **** bit.

Most of his fleet was in shambles, only a handful of his ships remained not including the three ships left of the patrol group, his communication officer died during a fight between the _Anchor_ and one of the enemy capital ships and to top it off he had a broken wrist due to a panel falling down on him during the same fight.

He was so pissed at the moment.

The only good part was that the imperials had lost a good amount of starships and they had been forced to regroup. Now what was left of his fleet was staring down the larger yet wounded imperial fleet.

"Sir, MAC cannon is offline. Some of our missile pods are disabled and those bombers took out a few of our guns." The weapon officer reported with a bit of blood at the left side of his head where the man had hit a console. He was very lucky to have such a minor wound and be alive. Something many others couldn't say the same of.

Kovalic turned towards the holographic figure of Ares and asked, "What about the other ships?"

Hopefully the rest of what remained of his former defense fleet was still put up a fight.

"Not good sir," Ares said "most of our frigates were lost in the fight and all we have left is two of them. The rest are our destroyers and cruisers. The remaining carrier is in no condition to fight nor to commence slipspace travel."

Indeed there wasn't much left. The destroyers and cruisers were effective against their foe but the holes in the hulls and the scorch marks showed the scars of turbolasers. The most depressive sight was the large amount of wreckage floating around. Some ships could be recognized whereas others were nothing more but pieces of metal.

Kovalic cursed silently and gazed at the imperial fleet. At least they suffered as well.

"We need to get out of here now. Send a message down the planet that reinforcements are on their way but the ground forces will have to hold out." Kovalic ordered.

"Yes sir." The ensign now in charge of communications answered tiredly.

"Checking slipspace drive now." The navigational officer spoke up and typed away at the console. After a few seconds he said with a confused frown, "Slipspace drive is still functional but something is blocking us from entering slipspace."

Kovalic furrowed his eyebrows and demanded, "And what would that be?"

"I think I know the answer to that admiral." The sensory officer told her commanding officer.

"Go ahead but make it short." The admiral said bracing himself for more bad news.

"My scans are picking up gravitational distortions making it impossible for FTL travel. Anything in a certain radius of the battle won't be able to leave." The officer explained curtly.

"Any idea why this is happening?" Kovalic asked betting the imperials were to blame.

Ares answered the question by bringing up a hologram of an imperial ship with four orbs in its hull.

"This cruiser appears to be creating the gravitational distortions. It appears to have some sort of gravity well able to cancel out all FTL travel. There are currently two of them on active duty. Both are practically in their second line with the first in the middle and the second close to the patrol unit." The AI explained to the admiral who started thinking of a way to destroy them.

"Can we get one of the MACs to destroy them?" He inquired stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Negative, the other ships are blocking our remaining operational cannons and one of them is a capital ship with the ability to deflect the shots. By my calculations it would take too long and give the imperials a chance to overwhelm us." Ares replied shooting the idea down.

"Archer missiles?" Kovalic proposed.

Ares seemed to think about before nodding, "It would take all of our remaining missiles but it should be possible. During the battle I recorded that those cruisers are able to limit the gravitational field around themselves. The missiles would be jammed but I am most certain it will give us the opening we need."

"Then that's how we'll do it." Kovalic decided with renewed purpose.

"There is one problem sir." Ares warned, "While the middle one can be reached I am afraid the one on the side is too well protected for our missiles to reach it."

Kovalic gazed at the formation the imperials assumed and tried to come up with a solution to that particular problem, and fast if they wanted to get out of here. His eyes darted towards the patrol unit that was in flanking position. Kovalic's eyes lighted up when the idea struck him like a lightning bolt.

"Get me a comm link with captain Samwell." Kovalic ordered and then clasped his hands behind him. "I've got a job for him."

* * *

 **ISD** _ **Grievous**_

"The Interdictors their gravity wells have been activated sir. They won't get away now." The first officer told his superior who stood at the usual spot for a commanding officer.

Monatt plainly stared at the UNSC ships that gathered around. He had never before engaged such a ferocious enemy like them. The rebels didn't have **** on them.

"What about our remaining destroyers?" Monatt inquired with a lack of enthusiasm.

The officer shared the admiral's feelings and replied, "Not bad but not good either. The enemy's last stand will be quite taxing on what we have left."

"Bring us closer to them so we can fire our turbolasers again. I want to finish this battle as soon as possible before they find a way to escape." Monatt began to say but once his sentence was finished an ensign cried out in alarm.

"Hostile ships have launched missiles! By the emperor it's a huge wave of them!" The man yelled.

Monatt sharply turned around and saw the storm of archer missiles coming for his fleet.

"What is their target?!" He demanded to know.

The ensign typed at his console trying to figure it out and paled as he saw the course.

"They're headed for our Interdictor in the front sir!"

Monatt's jaw almost hit the floor at the news. Within moments he composed himself and gave instructions to the rest of the crew.

"Order all fighters to intercept them! The point-defense lasers of our forward ships must thin them out before they can reach the cruiser. Get to it now!" He commanded swing his arm around to emphasize how important it was that they protected the Interdictor.

Another officer spoke up, "Admiral, the UNSC ships that joined the battle a while ago are advancing towards our flank."

Monatt sighed and activated his datapad. It displayed the four ships going straight for the imperial line. A very foolish move in his opinion. They would be going up against two Venators, three Victories and two ISDs. Sure, those ships were damaged but so were theirs. It might not be a full barrage of the main weapons but if the UNSC came close enough the batteries on the sides meant to eliminate foes at close range would put a dent or two in their hulls.

Monatt almost scoffed but his eyes went wide once again when he saw that behind two of the Victories the other Interdictor was staying put with its gravity well engaged.

"Get me additional fighters to our flank. Have the destroyers and cruisers in the back intercept those ships as well." He ordered calmly but still with determination in his voice.

He would not let them get away.

Multiple TIEs left the formation of the fleet and headed straight towards the swarm of archer missiles. As soon as they got in ranfe they fired their laser cannons resulting in the destruction of multiple missiles that were all atomized by the green laser bolts. Some of the fighters even accidently crashed into a missile or two. Still there was a large number of weapons breaking through and going for the Interdictor. The forward destroyers and cruisers used their point-defense lasers to eradicate as many as they could. It was quite the display with many laser bolts and explosions brightening the darkness of space.

On the UNSC side everyone was on edge as their weapons were slowly being destroyed.

On the imperial side everyone was hoping that the missiles would be destroyed in time before the Interdictor could be reached.

In the end multiple missiles flew past the star destroyers almost reaching the Interdictor.

The bridge of the Interdictor grew silent as the explosive projectiles came closer and closer.

The cruiser's captain knew that trying to evade was impossible. With the gravity well active they couldn't move. All they could do was hope for the best.

Within moments the archer missiles finally made contact with the Interdictor.

The entire cruiser was completely covered in bright explosions making it almost impossible to keep your eyes on it. The Interdictor was thrown off-balance and the continuous detonations of the archer missiles reduced the capacity of the shield generators.

It didn't take long to break the shields.

The fire tore away at the outer hull of the cruiser ripping it apart in certain sections. The reactor and gravity well simultaneously blew up sending debris everywhere.

Monatt scowled deeply at the sight of the destroyed cruiser.

"Incoming report from the ISD _Blizzard_ stating that the UNSC is almost in firing range." The communications officer called out.

The admiral tore his gaze away of the destroyed cruiser and responded, "Tell them to stop those ships at all cost. We cannot let them get to the last Interdictor."

The four UNSC ships that steered towards the imperial line were the remaining two Paris frigates, a Halberd and the Marathon which acted as the command ship of captain Samwell. The four damaged ships boosted their engines and advanced at full speed. The forward guns were all firing away at the two Venators that blocked their path.

The Imperial-class destroyers turned their octuple barbette turbolasers towards the opposing destroyers and shot bright green lasers at them. The heavy laser bolts of these turbolasers were powerful enough to make the shields of the Halberd and Marathon drop significantly. But then the Marathon used its MAC cannon to pierce the shields and hull of an Imperial-class. The MAC round went through the starboard heavy turbolasers eliminating two of them while throwing the ship off balance.

The Venators were being hammered by the railguns of the UNSC depleting their shields steadily. The crew on the bridge began to feel concern when the UNSC didn't show any signs of slowing down. The Paris frigates took point and transferred all power to their engines and forward shields. The Venators didn't steer away less they wanted to break formation so they could only gawk at the ever closing frigates. Both of them rammed the Venators causing the two destroyers to be ripped apart in many pieces. The reactors of all the four ships reached critical condition and imploded into four fiery mini suns.

The debris flew into the other imperial ships and provided slight cover for the UNSC destroyers.

The Halberd was hit on its starboard side with the result of the ship steering more to the left and straight into one of the Victories. Both of the destroyers unleashed a hailstorm of weaponry on each other but when they hit each other the same thing that happened earlier with the frigates and Venators happened as well. Both ships were lost with all hands as they went down in fire.

Aboard the remaining ship namely the Marathon the bridge crew members gave their final prayers. Some were slumped over the consoles with no life in them because they died earlier during the bombardment of the Imperial star destroyers. Captain Samwell saw the Interdictor from his position in his command chair. He was about to die knowing he sacrificed his ships to smash through the imperial defense just so they could destroy the cruiser that created the gravitational field preventing the fleet to retreat. It was a sacrifice that all his sailors gladly carried out. Just before the Marathon hit the Interdictor he closed his eyes and cracked one last grin.

Monatt was clenching his fists as the UNSC destroyer simply smashed into the last Interdictor blowing both of them up. The explosions were so fierce that the other imperial destroyers and cruisers were damaged when things settled down.

"Admiral, our TIEs are in position to attack the hostile fleet but it will take around four minutes for our forward destroyers to begin a barrage." An ensign called out behind Monatt.

Monatt snarled and gave a loud order, "I want everything we have thrown at them! If we cannot keep them here we'll just have to settle with killing as many as we can!"

The swarms of TIEs all roared through the inky black vacuum with killing intent. As the UNSC ships prepared their slipspace drives the point-defense guns came to life blasting TIEs that came too close. One of the frigates had to deal with a wave of TIE fighters followed by TIE bombers. The initial barrage of green laser bolts hit a few guns melting them down but there were enough left to destroy a number of fighters. When the fighters dispersed they made way for the slower bombers. The point-defense guns were now firing desperately at the bombers but unfortunately they managed to unleash their payload. The ion bombs hit the armored hull of the frigate blowing pieces apart and damaging the ship. When enough bombs hit the left engine its deck was completely obliterated causing the ship to lose mobility and the ability to enter slipspace.

The UNSC was in a tight spot but they kept on fighting as long as they could.

But, as time passed on the imperials came closer.

And then the imperial warships got in range.

Bright green laser bolts streamed towards the UNSC ship followed by concussion missiles all coming from the forward imperial ships. Some found their mark as more and more of the defenders were wounded by the lasers that melted through their armored hulls.

Monatt saw a frigate going down followed by another cruiser. His stance was firm as he took in the carnage that happened in front of his eyes.

Just as it seemed that the empire won the UNSC finally entered slipspace leaving a wounded imperial fleet behind.

The bridge grew quiet as Monatt took in a deep breath before exhaling.

"Get me a full report on our losses." He told his second-in-command who nodded silently and went to do so.

Monatt took one last glance at the wreckage of both his and his enemy's ships that drifted slowly around the battlefield. This was the first major battle he had participated in and while he felt pride he also felt sorrow for the men and women that died. He was not looking forward to the report that he asked for but it had to be done. Condolences letters needed to be written and sent to the deceased's families. At least they had won this battle.

"All available troops aboard our star destroyers are to be send down to the planet's surface. Position a third of our ships in orbit to give support. I want all engineers to begin repairing the damage we sustained during the fight and make sure to give the all clear signal to our reinforcements." Monatt ordered before walking towards the exit of the bridge.

"Admiral, one of the enemy cruisers is still in one piece and I'm reading lifeforms aboard." An officer called out.

"Prepare a boarding party. Get me anything useful."

"Yes sir."

"I'll be in my quarters if you need me."

Monatt left the bridge and started walking through the corridors with the officer quarters as destination. When the doors of the bridge closed two figures stepped out of the shadows. Monatt felt safe as he stepped forward with the two magnaguards in tow. He felt safe with the two deadly machines following him for his protection. It had taken a lot of favors and resources but his family was allowed to reproduce the separatist droid army for his naval and army command. One of the perks were the bodyguards with their electrostaffs able to even fight jedi.

On his way to his quarters Monatt saw a few troopers carrying an officer who seemed to be unconscious. Apparently the shaking that the UNSC's large slugthrowers caused was responsible for many injuries. Monatt could only hope that the medical staff on board would be able to treat all the wounded. He had a nagging feeling they would be getting many patients.

* * *

 **Earth**

 **HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6**

 **Lord Hood's office**

Terrence Hood frowned deeply as he read the report of Harvest. Just before admiral Kovalic fled the system he was able to send a hastily put together report on the events that took place at the Harvest and are still going on.

Kovalic mentioned an entity called the Galactic Empire that arrived at the colony world with a massive fleet. It was quite the shock that the aggressors weren't alien life like the Covenant but in fact humans. Instead of plasma or railgun weaponry the empire apparently used laser based weaponry. According to Kovalic the empire had a large amount of starfighters stored away in their ships able to overwhelm the UNSC fighters. The small but very important document went on for a bit and at the end Kovalic said that Harvest would need major reinforcements less they want the planet to fall.

That was a problem for the aging fleet admiral.

The human-covenant war only ended a few years ago and while rebuilding efforts of the UNSC were progressing incredibly they still lacked a lot. If it weren't for the improvements made with the use of Sangheili and Forerunner tech they would still be in a state of disrepair.

Hood put the datapad he was holding down and spoke to the dumb AI in his office, "Get me the president on the line."

The AI complied and called the presidential office at once. It didn't take long before the call was answered. Lord Hood was an important man after all being the military leader of the UNSC. Now he was looking at the image of the UEG leader on his screen.

Ruth Charet, an old woman with blue eyes and white hair, seemed to have a concerned expression on her face. She was aware of the security measures that had been taken in the aftermath of the incident on Mamore. The president had full confidence in Hood and therefore she gave him all the permission he needed on whatever he deemed necessary as long as it was acceptable.

"Lord Hood, it's good to see you." She said in a polite manner with a slight nod.

"Madame president," Hood said with a nod as well "I'm afraid this isn't a pleasure call. I've just received a report from admiral Kovalic."

The president's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"And what would that be?" She asked dreading the answer which Hood could understand perfectly.

"Our suspicions have been confirmed. According to what I know Harvest was attacked around five hours ago. Kovalic fought against our new enemy but he was forced to retreat with only a handful of ships left." Hood explained.

The president sighed and folded her hands before resting her head on them.

"So another war then." She murmured tiredly.

Hood gave a nod to confirm her statement.

Ruth raised her head again with determination in her eyes. "Do we know who our adversary is?"

"They call themselves the Galactic Empire. Apparently they are humans just like us." Hood answered.

Now the president visibly recoiled in shock and surprise.

"Humans? From a completely other civilization?" She asked in disbelief.

"As far as we know."

"I understand fleet admiral. I will convene with my staff at once but I am giving you permission to do what is necessary in order to take Harvest back in case it has fallen already." The president ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Hood said and saluted before the connection was broken.

Hood leaned back in his chair and addressed the AI again.

"Gather all present admirals and vice-admirals in the meeting room. All others are to be present through communications."

"Yes sir. Anything else?" The AI asked with the usual monotone tone.

Hood turned his chair around and looked at the sky before replying, "Send out an alert to all UNSC stations and fleets. We are officially at war."

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Outskirts UNSC base 'Shadow base'**

"Incoming!"

"Medic!"

"Enemies on our right! They've got tanks!"

"We're being overrun! I repeat, we're being- agh!"

There was pure chaos around the besieged base that kept the empire at bay. All around the base's perimeter there were soldiers firing at the enemies while taking casualties. As of yet the marines were holding their ground not allowing any imperial to break through and reach the base.

But then again the attack was more of a test planned out by the imperial commanders.

Using the forest as a pathway there were now only infantry and light vehicles attacking the military base. Storm troopers were crouching behind cover taking shots at the marines in order to evaluate the base's strengths and weaknesses. It also meant that reinforcements towards the highway would be cut off. The imperial commanders were quick to realize that without artillery, tanks or aerial support it would be impossible to take the base on their own.

"Where are those Hornets? We need air support pronto!" A sergeant asked loudly over the sounds of battle using his comm. He and his squad were pinned down by multiple storm troopers along with an AT-ST.

"Sarge there are some of the imps coming for us!" A specialist reported while ducking behind a rock to evade the blaster bolts coming for her.

Around seven storm troopers charged forward while being covered to secure the position that the marines were using. They all ran forward with blasters blazing and thermal detonators primed. The marines that tried to stop them received a blaster bolt to the head courtesy of the multiple scout troopers present.

Just as the troopers were about to reach the marines they all heard the distinct sound of rotors. The sergeant looked up to see five Hornets flying over them with their machine guns unloading bullets into the enemy. The troopers were instantly cut down and the others were forced to pull back. Another Hornet launched a missile straight at the AT-ST blowing its head up. The walker stumbled a bit before falling down.

"This just got a lot more interesting." A young marine remarked.

The imperials were unprepared for the sudden arrival of the Hornets so they began focusing on the aerial units instead of the marines.

Another AT-ST who had been pinning marines down stopped using its blaster cannon and resorted to the weapon pods on the side of the walker's head. The pilot manning a Hornet was startled by the alarm of the vehicle's systems signaling it was being locked on. The AT-ST driver waited for a few seconds before firing the missile. The Hornet tried getting away but one of the rotors got hit and the aircraft was quick to lose control. The imperials cheered as it crashed down and exploded in flames.

The cheering was stopped abruptly when a loud explosive sound resonated throughout the battlefield. A few troopers were seen fleeing for their lives confusing bystanders. It was only when a Grizzly accompanied by marines and ODSTs that the confusion turned into either fear or joy depending on the faction.

The Grizzly targeted one of the walkers and had to shoot only once to simply destroy the light armored vehicle.

With the enemy caught off guard and the additional troops the defenders charged forward pushing the imperials back.

Seeing the battle as lost the imperial commander sounded the retreat.

Within minutes the imperials were cleared out allowing the marines to catch their breaths.

As the Grizzly drove forward with the marines and ODSTs in tow the Hornets began flying around looking for any stragglers. The Marine manning the fortified gate opened it from the command tower atop it when he saw everything was clear. The Grizzly drove all the way towards the command center and parked there. Lieutenant Cosby jumped out followed by his men and saw his CO, colonel Stanfield, approach.

He quickly saluted and said, "Ma'am, the pass has been overrun. They came at us with reinforcements, there were just too many of them. Right before they got through we detonated the charges causing a good amount of these imps to get buried by the rocks. It will take some time before they clear the way. I brought everyone who was left with me."

Stanfield nodded, "Good job lieutenant. It's good to hear something else than bad news for a change."

"How's the situation at the other checkpoints ma'am?" Cosby asked curiously yet professionally.

Stanfield let out a sigh showing it didn't go well.

"Streln forest has fallen. The troops that you helped scaring off came from there. I'm afraid that Olsson either died or became a prisoner."

Cosby frowned at the news. He knew Olsson and the idea that something bad happened to him was quite the letdown for the tank commander.

"What about Bradley?" He further questioned.

"Last time he checked in he managed to hold the enemy off. He has two Kodiaks with him shelling the enemy which held off most of them but since a while ago we couldn't contact him. I hope it's nothing but with these imperials I just don't know." Stanfield grunted hating the imperials more and more.

"Do we have any status update on the fleet?" Cosby asked pulling out a cigar.

Stanfield grimaced before saying, "They barely managed to escape. We're all alone now with an alien fleet hanging above our heads."

Cosby lit the cigar and inhaled deeply. With an explosive sigh he exhaled the smoke and stress.

"Well," He began, "shit just hit the fan."

Stanfield grabbed a cigar as well before nodding.

"No shit Sherlock."

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **ISD Grievous**

 **Admiral Monatt's quarters**

Monatt stood behind his desk trying to relax. No matter how many times he went through this it was still so unnerving to report to Darth Vader himself. No one survived an encounter with the dark lord if they made a single mistake. He had secured space around Harvest, yes, but the enemy still managed to escape him. That was reason enough to kill Monatt. Just thinking about the gruesome death of being choked was scary enough for Monatt.

"I'm sure it'll be alright Brymal. You did a good job and because of you I can now properly capture the planet." General Durame tried to calm down his longtime friend who he shared his love for battle droids with. Said general was in the office as well but as a hologram using the holoprojector.

"I know that Braxis but I still feel like he'll kill me off like so many others." Monatt answered with a dry throat.

Before Durame could say anything else the holocommunicator went off. Both officers nervously watched the device but Monatt quickly answered. Within moments the appearance of the imposing sith lord filled the room. The cold repetitive breathing of the imperial commander echoed throughout the quiet office.

"Admiral Monatt and general Durame, report." Vader demanded getting to the point.

Monatt gulped at first but then answered with a steady voice, "My lord, the invasion is going as planned. Upon arrival I engaged the UNSC fleet and drove them back. My fleet has sustained considerable losses and damage but the UNSC retreated. I tried to anchor them using the remaining Interdictors but they found out those were what kept them put. They used every last ballistic missile left to obliterate the first and a few ships made a suicide attack destroying the last one. While they indeed use primitive technology they are a formidable opponent. I made a small report on their abilities which I will send you as soon as possible." Monatt finished.

The silence that fell upon the office of the admiral lasted for a few seconds. Neither officers nor the sith lord anything until Vader finally broke the painful silence.

"I am impressed admiral. I wasn't sure if you could pull it off but you did. The fact that the enemy was desperate enough to commit suicide so the others could escape is enough proof for me that you did well. What about the ground assault?" Vader spoke up and shifted his attention from the relieved admiral towards the general.

Durame straightened up and reported, "My legion is currently fighting its way toward the capital. Smaller groups have been deployed around the planet as well. We're encountering heavy resistance from the natives. Just like admiral Monatt told you they have crude but efficient weapons. My troops still need to get past a base but the enemy has dug in deep and it doesn't look like we'll get far unless my heavy armor and artillery arrives at the scene."

Vader nodded in thought.

"Very well. I will send out the rest of our invasion force along with reinforcements. Try to gather as much intelligence as you can. I will contact you later. Do not fail me." Vader said and turned off his communicator.

Both admiral and general let out a sigh of relief. Reporting to Darth Vader was anything but pleasant.

"I should get going. I need to coordinate the assault on the military base which will be anything but easy. Can I count on orbital bombardment in case I need it?" Durame said loosening his collar a bit.

Monatt nodded but gave a confused glance.

"You plan on leveling the base?" He asked.

"No that would be a waste. It could contain important information or could give us a an idea how this UNSC fabricates bases. I need it in case it's necessary for success." Durame answered.

Monatt sat down in his chair and said, "I'll have a Victory on standby. Good luck down there." Monatt told his compatriot.

"Thanks, something tells me I'll need it."

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Remains of the UNSC defense fleet**

Out of all the wreckage that now floated around Harvest as a result of the naval battle between the empire and the UNSC there was only one ship left intact. Its engines were destroyed, shields down, multiple decks wrecked and no power left. Yet this lone Paris-class frigate was still intact enough to sustain the few survivors aboard. The crew was desperately trying to find a solution but unless power was completely restored the hangar doors were sealed. But of course that won't stop the empire.

The empire always used boarding pods to board the enemy ships through the outer hull in such situations. Multiple boarding craft flew through the wreckage and just as they reached the ship they accelerated and plunged right into it. The four pincers in front of the craft allowed the craft to pierce the armored hull and get through.

Corporal Udine was just walking through a corridor carrying a bunch of repair tools in his kit on his back when a boarding craft hit the corridor. The shock sent him and a few others to the ground as the craft landed. Its pincers spread apart and the hatch opened up allowing its passengers to exit.

Udine got up to see a group of white-armored soldiers pour out of the craft. They all started gunning the marines and crewmen down without any single warning. Udine jumped behind a piece of metal that fell from the ceiling to avoid getting shot by the boarders. He quickly drew his pistol from the holster and readied himself to open fire on the enemy. Inhaling deeply he spun out of cover and shot the first trooper in the head. Three bullets found the man's head and neck before the trooper collapsed.

The other troopers opened fire on the corporal who went back to his cover. The heat of the laser bolts was unbearable but Udine fired one more time wounding another trooper. As the troopers advanced carefully the doors opened up revealing multiple marines. Both sides opened fire on each other making it easier for Udine to escape to safety. A marine covered him as he retreated towards his allies. Another storm trooper aimed at the marine and placed a laser bolt in the guy's chest. The intense heat melted the armor and seeped through the flesh of the victim. The wound cauterized within moments and the marine fell lifelessly on the cold corridor floor.

When the last trooper died the marines all gathered the survivors while checking if there were any wounded.

"Sir, I'm getting reports of boarders all around the ship." A private reported after checking the comm channel.

"Attention all personnel," The captain spoke from over the ship's PA system "I need all marines to repel our boarders. Lieutenant Anderson, report to the bridge immediately."

One of the marines gave a pissed off look and said, "Someone will have to tell the captain that old Anderson is currently blocked off by those imperials. Last time I saw him he was at the medbay and according to the comm channel there are enemies wandering out there."

"Let's go then. Anyone who can get this door open?" The squad leader asked while trying to open a door. The control panel seemed to glitch making it impossible to gain access.

"I'm a mechanic, I can try and fix it." Udine proposed. He walked forward and crouched before using the tools he had to open up the panel. Some of the wiring was loose and there seemed to be damage to one of the systems.

"Heads up! We got hostiles coming from around the corner!" A marine warned while running back to the squad.

"Get to cover! Protect the mechanic so we can get through." The squad leader ordered as he readied his DMR.

Soon a group of imperial storm troopers came from around the corner opening up on the marines. Laser fire and bullets crossed paths while combatants fought each other to the death. Udine did his best to focus but the sound of battle was something he was not exactly accustomed to. It made him anxious and it was difficult to repair the door that way.

Meanwhile the marines held the storm troopers off but the amount of boarders was unsettling. The troopers were at a disadvantage but now and then one of them would deliver a hit ending the life of a defender. That and the marines would run out of ammo or get overwhelmed at one point.

"Reloading!" A soldier called out grabbing another ammo magazine.

"Focus fire on their left flank!" Another one said.

The storm troopers pulled out their heavy weaponry as one carried a heavy blaster. The trooper simply blew the small cover one marine had apart and proceeded to kill the soldier. The others then covered each other as they went forward.

"Status on that door!" The squad leader yelled while emptying another clip in a trooper's chest. The trooper fell down with his chest armor torn apart and blood seeping out of his wounds. The other storm troopers went past the body still firing at the marines.

"Almost open!" Udine said while working fervently. He just needed to connect a few wires and he was done.

More troopers poured in and more marines got hit by the attackers. When a heavy storm trooper opened fire with his rotary cannon a few marines got torn apart. Just as things got more dire the door finally opened.

"It's open! Get through now!" Udine called out while taking a few shots at the troopers with his pistol. Most of his shots missed but he did get a trooper in the shoulder.

The defenders of the frigate wasted no time in retreating. Every man and woman almost jumped through the door to get away from their pursuers. A thermal detonator landed close to them and blew three crewmen around. Their bodies were scorched and smoking. When everyone was through the door Udine sealed it and locked it so the troopers couldn't follow.

"The door is now effectively sealed sir. That will buy us some time." The mechanic reported while wiping the sweat off his face.

"Good job. How many are left? Sound off now." The squad leader asked.

"Private Rick reporting for duty."

"Corporal Lara ready."

"Ensign Samuel here."

"Lance corporal Allison and private Miters present."

"Corporal Udine sir."

"Staff sergeant Wallace with you."

The squad leader gave a sigh at the small number of soldiers left.

"Alright, I am gunnery sergeant Blackwell. Since we just got out of the engine block we'll head towards the fighter hangar and aid in clearing out the hostiles there. Anyone who is wounded or without weapon?" Blackwell questioned.

The small band shook their heads.

"Let's get going then. Lara and Wallace take point with me. Samuel and Udine in the middle. Rick, Allison and Miters cover our flanks and back. Move out people." The gunnery sergeant ordered.

The eight humans carefully patrolled forward looking out for any hostiles that might appear out of nowhere. The forward soldiers had their weapons aimed forward while those on the flanks stood ready to move out. The sounds echoing throughout the whole ship were that of battle. The occasional gunshot or the sound of a laser could be heard clearly.

Udine and Samuel exchanged a few medpacks so they could tend to any wounded. Udine also reloaded his pistol and kept his finger on the trigger. Samuel had less experience in combat but he kept his SMG ready for when necessary.

The group finally arrived at the blast doors for the hangar. In front of the heavy doors a lone pilot was sprawled all over the cold floor with two cauterized holes in her back. The helmet's visor was slightly cracked and there were signs of a fight all over the body.

"She must have tried to run away." Lance corporal Allison softly said while Miters gave a short prayer for the deceased woman.

Wallace frowned and looked at the doors.

"But from what?" Udine wondered.

"We'll find out soon enough." Blackwell said and opened the blastdoors.

The doors gave entrance to the hangar and they could see a large battle was going on.

The marines and a few pilots were desperately trying to force the storm troopers back but it was a stalemate. Both sides had casualties everywhere but it appeared that if the UNSC forces could give one more push the troopers would be beaten.

Blackwell stepped on the higher ground where they came through and pointed at two MGs that were positioned to overlook the whole hangar.

"Lara, Udine, get on those MGs now! The rest of you open fire!" He ordered while picking up an assault rifle.

Udine hasted towards the turret and grabbed it. He pointed the stationary weapon at a trooper and let it rip.

The troopers were caught by surprise when heavy caliber rounds tore apart their forces. Some of the troopers aimed at the marines on the higher platform but they were ripped apart by the defenders at both sides. When the fight was done troopers littered the ground with shattered and bloodied armor.

"Get the wounded out of here and set up a perimeter!" The officer in charge of the marines in the hangar yelled. The medics quickly attended to those who were in bad condition.

Blackwell reloaded his rifle and checked up on the others.

"Everyone alright?"

Udine patted his MG and grinned.

"I am in love sir." He said dreamily.

The others gave a good laugh at his attempt at humor. They calmed down in time for the hangar to shake. Some marines stumbled around as the shaking subdued. They all reorganized them ready for what could happen. Then the hissing noise of someone cutting through doors sounded. The marines saw with wide eyes the hangar doors being sliced open. When done part of the giant doors fell over revealing an imperial boarding pod shaped as an octagonal prism. The hatch of the large boarding pod opened up letting a dozen storm troopers out along with two AT-STs.

The initial laser barrage claimed a few lives and with the walkers' laser cannons cover hardly mattered as it was blown away. Udine grabbed his MG and fired on the closest AT-ST. The walker's armor withstood the heavy caliber rounds but it began to weaken. The walker's pilot turned the head around and fired at him. Udine got away in time but Lara who hadn't escaped was torn apart.

"Damn it! We need heavy weapons now!" Blackwell yelled over the firefight as he killed another trooper.

"Gunnery sergeant, our guys down there are falling back. What should we do?" Lance corporal Allison asked as she received another ammo mag from Miters.

Blackwell glanced at the walkers that were eliminating any UNSC presence in the hangar and the troopers that reinforced them. He cursed and signaled their retreat.

"We're routed, fall back!"

Wallace stood up and aimed at the attacking storm troopers. "Covering fire!" He announced.

Ensign Samuel helped him as the others ran back to the door. When the last marine was through they too fled. Samuel was almost through but got spotted by an AT-ST driver. The laser bolt that hit burned through his clothes and flesh. His corpse flew against the wall and slumped down. Wallace cursed loudly and profoundly as he shut the door. Udine immediately sealed it to slow the boarders down.

"Attention all crew, the ship is lost. Get to the life pods as soon as you can." The captain announced over the PA with a defeated tone.

Blackwell shook his head and gestured towards the hall that would lead them to the pods.

The others followed without a single word.

The damage done to the frigate's interior was heavy as scorch marks adorned the walls and blood flowed like water. It was an unnerving sight and the survivors were anxious to get out. Just the sound of straining metal was enough to make them jump around in surprise.

Eventually they got to the nearest life pod and wasted no time in getting out. Udine was the last to enter next to Blackwell who shut the doors. Wallace grabbed the controls and launched the pod. When they felt themselves detach from the doomed ship they all relaxed slightly. Udine looked out the viewport seeing the ship distance itself.

What he didn't see was the shadow trooper who knocked out the last bridge crew member and haul him away along with the rest including the captain. The shadow trooper sergeant placed a hand on his helmet comm and contacted the ISD _Grievous_.

"Tell the admiral that we have an important officer as prisoner. He might want to begin interrogations as soon as possible."

* * *

 **Coruscant**

 **Imperial palace**

 **Emperor Palpatine's throne room**

Darth Sidious cackled as the rebel spy writhed and cried out in pain. He always found immense pleasure in using his force lightening to torture his victims slowly before their imminent death. The screaming echoed throughout the luxurious throne room that would unnerve many. The royal guards were used to it by now.

Sidious gave one final surge of power before the man's life was snuffed out. He stepped back and sat down in his chair. He rose a hand and motioned for the body to be removed. Two red guards quickly dragged the corpse away.

Sidious gave one final chuckle before reviewing everything he had gotten so far.

The rebels were on the run, couldn't establish a base without his knowing, were in the dark about the death star and of his operations in the milky way. Obviously they saw his fleet leaving towards the unknown regions but that did not matter.

Speaking of his fleet it was about time that he got an update from his apprentice.

With a bony hand he pulled out Vader's comm address. The private and secured line he shared with Vader was one of the first he always saw when accessing his communicator.

The emperor did not need to wait long as usual. With Vader on standby to march out the emperor's right hand spend most of his time in his personal chambers above the _Executor_.

Vader's holographic image showed up soon as Vader bowed.

"Yes, my master?"

Sidious smirked at the obedience of his apprentice.

"My old friend," He cooed, "I wanted to check in on you and our war. Surely you have news by now."

 _And it's better good or else…_

Vader didn't miss the unspoken threat and nodded.

"Admiral Monatt was victorious against the enemy fleet. He suffered losses but drove them away. His experience with them has also granted us some interesting insight that I will use to alter our plans." Vader said solemnly.

The emperor's nonexistent eyebrow rose up as he questioned, "And what would this insight be, lord Vader?"

"Our enemy uses slugthrowers and mass drivers in space combat. Their giant slugthrowers are capable of punching through our shields and armor with little difficulty. Only our imperial-class star destroyers are our best options against such weapons. They might have superior weaponry in range and starfighters but we have power and numbers. Overwhelming them is our best option so far." Vader explained to his master.

Sidious looked thoughtful before nodding again. Vader had experience in war and also his teachings. Sidious would never say it out loud but he did trust his apprentice's assessments over those of his underlings like the moffs.

"Very well lord Vader. I shall await further news from you. Go and bring victory for the empire and the Sith." Palpatine instructed gazing directly into the helmet's eyes.

Vader bowed and said, "It shall be done my master."

Darth Sidious ended the transmission and turned his throne around. He coldly watched the view he had of Coruscant and its occupants. All his.

Sidious smiled and contemplated how he would hurt the rebels this time.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Forward imperial base**

 **Perimeter Beta**

"Viper three, what do you see out there?" Asked sergeant Yong who observed the imperial base in the night.

Troopers were patrolling and guard towers with spotting lights were observing their surroundings. The three Vipers who were out there in the field had to utilize every bit of training experience they had to avoid getting detected.

"They've got multiple chicken walkers at my side Viper one. I placed a few charges at the legs." The Hispanic commando replied while moving in the shadows. His silenced SMG at the ready.

"Viper five, what about you?"

There was a bit of silence before a feminine voice replied, "Just had to evade some of those troopers. I gathered some intel on our enemy but relatively small. I placed a charge at what I would assume to be a munitions storage and a cannon."

Yong was happy with the intel no matter how small. Anything could help at the moment.

"Alright get back. Viper seven, be ready to fire that sniper rifle if you need to." Yong told them. The last Viper who was laying on elevated ground simply checked his rifle again.

"Ready boss." The marksman responded professionally looking through the scope spotting a few troopers.

The two infiltrators teamed up together and silently sneaked towards the exit of the depot. They walked past a squad of patrolling storm troopers that didn't see them. After they passed some ammo crates they bumped into a line of deactivated machines.

Viper five looked over them and rose an eyebrow as he turned towards Viper three who just shrugged.

"Viper one, just saying but these guys have robots. Six feet tall armored robots." She said with some awe.

"Roger that, get a picture of it and return immediately." Came the response.

Without further distractions the two of them moved on in silence. The occasional duo of troopers would pass by but so far they were undetected. A lone AT-ST stood at the entrance with four more troopers as guards. They now had a problem.

The terrain advantage they used to get over the walls was gone and now the only exit was blocked off by hostiles.

"Sir, we won't get past these guards without a distraction. Requesting permission to detonate the charges." Viper three asked glancing at the walker.

The response was immediate, "Permission granted. We'll make a fast exit."

Viper five pulled the detonator out of a pocket and pressed the button.

Loud and bright explosions illuminated the night as they tore the imperial base apart. Every single charge placed had a target. One of the barracks went up in flames that threatened to spread towards the others. A few AT-STs had their legs blown off leaving the upper body to topple over. A comm node was fried and useless when another charge went off. A fuel tank caused a shockwave sending troopers to the ground when it was ignited. Chunks of debris flew around making a mess of that section of the forward base.

The two UNSC SpecOps soldiers grinned contently and gave each other a fist bump.

The grins disappeared when sirens and alarms went off. Like predicted the guards and walker blocking them went forward to investigate but everywhere imperials hurried around to find the saboteurs.

"Go!" Viper five said pushing her companion to move on.

Together they ran as fast as they could with weapons in their hands at the ready. Their camouflage helped them to remain undetected as troopers were searching around for intruders. A few of them ran past the Vipers who had to hide in the shadows. When the storm troopers passed them they marched on.

Just as they exited through the gate a trooper near the wall spotted them.

"Intruders at gate B5! Two of them, requesting backup!" He reported in his commlink.

The two Vipers ran through the bushes while red lasers whizzed by them. They nervously noticed the amount of soldiers growing. One trooper became three, then a squad, then two and now at least thirty troopers were pursuing.

Just as they reached the hills a trooper fell on the ground with a hole in her head.

Viper seven moved on to the next target to cover his teammates. The troopers kept on charging even as a few of them were downed by the sniper.

Viper one hefted the DMR against his shoulder and opened fire on the storm troopers letting the others climb the hill. Some troopers returned fire though less accurate. The other imperials kept on chasing the infiltrators.

Just as Viper three and five were halfway there the imperials received reinforcements. Three imperial troop transports unloading more soldiers. The guns on top of the ITTs all turned to Viper one who luckily rolled away. He almost got shot but dodged the laser fire.

"More of them on their way. We need to go now!" Viper seven yelled as he spotted three AT-STs marching towards their position.

Viper one grabbed the hand of Viper five as she struggled at the end of the climb and hauled her up. He patted her on the back as she gave curt nod before running off to start their escape vehicle.

He extended his arm once more to grab Viper three who was almost there. At the base of the hill a scout trooper aimed his E-11s long-range blaster carefully. He waited for the perfect shot and when he saw it pulled the trigger. It was a clean hit. Viper three cried out in pain as the shot pierced his leg. He stumbled and rolled down the hill unconscious.

"Shit!" Viper one cursed and retreated as the storm troopers came closer.

"We need to move now!" Viper seven argued as he saw their leader hesitating whether to leave or go back.

Viper one cursed loudly and yelled some insults at the troopers. Just before he ran away he pulled out a grenade and dropped it on the troopers. The blast threw some of them off the hill and others died with broken armor and bodies.

Viper five kept her foot ready on the accelerator as the other two operatives ran for the warthog. She saw two of those eyeball shaped fighters in the distance and got more nervous.

The last to hop in was seven and when he did he said, "Get us the fuck out of here five."

She didn't need to be asked twice and drove away immediately.

"What happened to Reyes?" She asked forgetting the code names for now.

Yong gave a sigh and answered deflated, "Didn't make it. Bastards shot him in the leg. I hope he doesn't get to live through any torture."

The rest of the trip was silent as they evaded capture by the imperials.

Back at the hill an imperial officer in battle armor frowned as he received the report from the storm trooper sergeant. He glanced at the unconscious prisoner and subconsciously his mouth became a thin line.

Hopefully this prisoner would make up for the damage or heads would roll.

After all, Vader would reach the planet soon.

* * *

 **That's right, time to bring forth the dark lord we all know and love!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So a lot of people were triggered by the last chapter, or so I think at least, and I will** **address those things. Oh and about the interdictors, I will adjust it in the future but they'll still have some effect.**

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **UNSC base 'Shadow base'**

 **Command center**

"Enemy fighters approaching from the west, ETA two minutes. Wolverine 3-2 shift focus to them. Diverting anti-air fire to aid fending off the new squadron." An operator said tiredly at his station in the command center.

For more than two hours the base had been under assault by numerous walkers and storm troopers. The only reason why they could identify the enemy was because of the intel gathered by the Vipers. But of course it wasn't much of a help now that the imperials got their big guns ready.

When passage was secured at the highway the empire immediately sent reinforcements in the form of more tanks and their artillery. Self-propelled medium artillery, or SPMA walker, had a heavy turbolaser cannon capable of firing at a long range. It was no problem to destroy something with those heavy guns, especially with an immobile base that you could shell. Buildings and more lives were wasted with the constant barrage.

The other immediate threat that got the UNSC on the run was a new tank used by the empire. Adopted from the Umbaran militia that had aligned itself with the CIS during the clone wars, the mobile heavy cannon walker was very dangerous. The MHC walker was large with heavy armor but quite slow with its mass. It made up for that with an articulated electromagnetic plasma cannon and two twin antipersonnel laser cannons. The walker was causing havoc among UNSC lines while backed up with smaller walkers and infantry.

"Hostile tank just took out two of our Scorpions ma'am." A lieutenant told Stanfield who slammed her fist on the table.

"Where is that air support?" She demanded to know as another artillery shell hit close.

"Longsword bombers are encountering anti-air guns from the imperials. They can't approach without getting shot down." Someone answered quickly.

Stanfield growled with frustration and said, "Search other targets for them that might help. How is the evacuation going?"

"Ninety percent of the base has been evacuated. Only the engineers are left that are rigging the place to blow. They need five more minutes."

"Make it three and tell our marines to fall back at my command." Stanfield ordered sternly. The officer nodded and coordinated what needed to be done.

"Ma'am, I got word from brigadier general Knott. The southern cities have fallen but the capital and northern cities are holding out." The lieutenant from earlier reported.

"Good. Now get me that detonator so we can set it up here." She commanded as an engineer was busy setting up the main bomb.

He gave a curt nod and a salute before running off to grab the detonator from storage. Stanfield looked out of a shattered window for a moment seeing the HMC fire another shot at the base's walls. The very foundations of the wall shook and against such force the defenses crumbled down. The mines and marines were successfully buying time but the situation was dire.

"I've established contact with a scout party that has visual on the enemy anti-air emplacements. They say they can at least divert the enemy's attention for a minute or two." The lieutenant said with hope.

Stanfield capitalized at once.

"Tell them to get our flyboys as much time as possible." She ordered with renewed vigor before turning her focus on an aide, "Contact an available bomber wing. Target: sector M8 to M1."

Stanfield walked away and accessed the controls of the holotable.

The next minutes she had were devoted to ordering her troops. She marked positions that needed to be taken, reinforced and abandoned. Whenever a new threat arrived on the battlefield she found a solution and applied it. Biting her lip she watched as the bombers flew by. The entire command center cheered, Stanfield included, as the payload eradicated the imperials enough to break their lines.

"Ma'am, hostile tank is immobilized!" The lieutenant spoke up in glee and hope.

The HMC walker had one of its legs sparking and on fire while it couldn't move on anymore. The damage the walker sustained was too heavy and the cannon seemed to be offline as well. All in all it did turn the tide. Storm troopers stopped advancing and the marines could fight on.

"Enemy walkers coming from the forest followed by infantry. Targeting them with our artillery."

"We've got a breach. Marine squad foxtrot killed in action. Sending reinforcements to protect our flank."

"Multiple engineers carrying explosives reported. Putting up a warning to look out for them."

"Shit, we lost one of the Scorpions."

"Enemy is losing ground and regrouping."

Stanfield tightened her grip on the table. She frowned and absently checked the overall status. Some victories but losses as well. The news of a successful raid by some scouts behind enemy lines gave her some hope.

They weren't done just yet.

* * *

 **Harvest orbit**

 **ISD** _ **Control**_

Captain Faro observed the planet from the safety of his ship and couldn't help but admire its beauty. He was a man who enjoyed nature, a trait common among his people, while being planet side or in space. He even kept a few plants in his personal quarters. That was the reason he sometimes hated destruction that unnecessarily damaged nature.

A few moments ago he had begrudgingly sent out a few VT-49 Decimators to raid a UNSC marine position. The fire bombs burned down the environment but also its occupants. Not a single trooper was killed in action because of the decision so he grimly accepted the results.

"Sir, admiral Monatt has given us the signal. We are allowed to break formation." An ensign reported from her station.

The captain gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Helm, bring the ship into firing position. Weapons, ready our turbolasers." He calmly ordered.

The ship's engines flared as it slowly turned to the left leaving the blockade that the empire had formed. The captain had to balance himself a bit but after three years of experience he got used to it. The star destroyer went forward towards the planet until it reached a good position.

The crew hustled around at their stations working at an adequate pace. The captain himself simply stood there without any rush.

Faro pulled out his datapad showing requests of orbital bombardment. He scrolled down to find one that was more important than others to have an imperial-class provide support. His eyes scanned expertly and found a target.

' _Orbital bombardment requested at supplied coordinates to eliminate cannon emplacements. Target's danger level: 8. Signed by shadow trooper CR-1089.'_

The captain wasted no time. An orbital strike request signed by shadow troopers always had high priority. Level 8 was also enough for him. A tactic used by Monatt was to give danger levels to targets so the ones that proved to be quite dangerous were easier recognized.

"Fire a salvo at this location. Comms, alert any ground forces in the proximity." He said and walked towards the windows.

After a few moments the ship shook as the main turbolasers opened fire. Faro saw the green lances of energy depart with flashes. All of them went straight for the surface somewhere in the north. He tore his gaze away for a moment to look for more targets. While scrolling down the comm officer spoke up.

"Our forces report that the target has been neutralized sir."

"Excellent," Faro responded, "new target coming up."

"Coordinates received." The weapons officer said when the captain gave them.

"Open fire." Faro ordered calmly as ever.

Once again lances of green shot towards the planet. On the ground the UNSC marines could only sink in despair as the deadly energy obliterated their platoon. Bodies were flung away or disintegrated and craters adorned the landscape. A few survivors gathered their bearings and ran away as the bombardment stopped but the hostile ground forces advanced.

"A few survivors sir. Also one of our own squads got caught up in the attack." The comm officer reported with some sympathy for the imperials on the ground.

The captain nodded slowly.

"Unfortunate, very unfortunate." He said truthfully.

He turned his attention back to the datapad and pulled out a few more targets. The star destroyer would be raining down a lot on the planet.

He gave a humorless chuckle. Hopefully no forests would be targeted, that would also be most unfortunate.

* * *

 **Earth**

 **Sydney, UEG senate**

 **President Ruth's staff meeting**

"If the situation is as dire as admiral Kovalic says," The minister of defense said, "then we must mobilize our forces and publicly declare war."

"But maybe we should see if diplomacy works." Another politician offered.

Then another one looked outraged at the man, "They attacked us! This is a declaration of war. Simple as that. We cannot afford to be unprepared like we were back when the Covenant attacked us."

"Madame president?" Another minster said softly.

They all looked at president Ruth who had her hands folded while staring at the table. When the woman finally looked up there was a grim determination in her eyes.

"We are at war. Any peaceful resolution will be accepted but for now we must prepare. Fleet admiral Hood is not here because he is rallying our forces. While he is working his ass off to give humanity a chance we are bickering about whether we accept the facts or not." She said sternly as her gaze swept over each every one of her staff. They looked ashamed of themselves and muttered apologies.

"What is our plan?" The man on her left asked quietly.

The president narrowed her eyes and ordered, "As of now we will fight the entity called the Galactic Empire. We will spread word to each and every one of our colonies. We will even spread word to the Sangheili. We will endure, survive and win this war."

Her words carried conviction and determination which her staff could hear clearly.

The minister of defense looked a bit apprehensive however.

"Should we really involve the Elites? They might stab us in the back while we are weakened by the empire."

Ruth glared at the man and said fervently, "The Sangheili are the reason we defeated the Covenant. They were misled and know that, but still accept the blame and guilt that they fought us. Some are still set in their ways but other like the Arbiter are loyal. Because of our joint operations we forged an alliance and if there is one thing they would never do is go back on their honor. Besides, I doubt that the empire will stop with simply us."

The minister nodded slowly and wisely shut up.

"Madame president we have established a connection with Sanghelios." A man in a suit spoke up as he stepped into the room.

"Speak of the devil." One of the politicians muttered.

"Go ahead." The president said as she stepped towards the communicator.

A few seconds passed before the screen came to life and showed the visage of Thel Vadam. The Sangheili sovereign leader in his golden armor gave a nod to the president while clicking his mandibles.

"Greetings president Charet." The male Sangheili greeted in his deep voice.

"Greetings to you as well Arbiter. I have called you because of a very important issue that might affect Sanghelios and its colonies as well."

The Arbiter's eyes widened before narrowing.

"And what would that be if I might inquire?" Thel questioned neutrally.

The human president took a deep breath before she explained their situation.

"A couple of hours ago an alien fleet arrived at our colony of Harvest. Our intelligence branch suspected there would be an attack after an incident on another colony. Our concerns were justified. The fleet told us it was there on behalf of a society called the Galactic Empire. Apparently they come from beyond our borders and those of the former Covenant. Their emperor wishes to conquer us and we suspect our entire galaxy. Harvest is under siege as we speak. Our fleet was forced to retreat after heavy casualties and now we turn to you. We know our alliance with the Sangheili is new and young but we hope that you would consider joining us in our strife. With the knowledge they gathered by now it is likely they will spread throughout our systems and yours. We request your aid." Ruth told the Arbiter with a steady tone.

During the whole talk Thel listened attentively. He was glad it was short since politics were frustrating for him. On numerous occasions he preferred talking with the human politician instead of his own. They had a simple but important understanding of each other. Now that she told him about this new threat his face morphed into a scowl.

"Did this empire gave any form of warning or an attempt at peaceful negotiating?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"According to admiral Kovalic they stated 'Me and my fleet are here to inform you that your world will be absorbed into our glorious empire. I ask for your immediate unconditional surrender.'"

Thel scoffed and immediately noticed a few familiar things that he saw in the Covenant.

"I cannot tell you at the moment if we will join you or not." Thel said slowly seeing the expression of the president falter and added reassuringly, "But I believe that once I have spoken to my own people we will gladly fight such a foe. It is as you said, they will not stop with humanity alone. Their comparative traits to the Covenant say as much. I will contact you as soon as I can."

The president let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

"We will await your decision." She said respectfully.

Thel gave a nod and said, "May your ancestors be with you in your battles."

And with that the connection was ended. The president turned around and began her discussions with her staff how they should break the news to the population.

* * *

 **Harvest**

 **Capital**

 **Command AT-AT**

General Durame fixed his gaze on the last true obstacle in front of him: the capital of Harvest.

Now as he stood there behind the AT-AT drivers in his combat armor he gave one final prayer to the force that he would emerge victorious. The last of the marines had gathered in the capital to fight to the last man.

With his forces in the air occupied Durame decided to pull out the big guns. With additional forces following him his group of ten AT-ATs marched forward waiting for an attack. He had no doubt the AT-AT would shrug off most hits. The HMC back at the UNSC base was taken down after a bombing run but the newest imperial heavy unit still destroyed many of the enemy tanks. That meant these Scorpions as the marines called them were going to do little damage to the AT-AT unless they went for the weak spots. Its armor and weaponry was far more superior.

It felt good to be in the field again. He began as a commander and ended up being a general which meant fieldwork was already rare but by the force did it feel good. Sitting behind a desk back at the base never sat well with Durame. How Monatt could stand it was incomprehensible.

"General Durame sir, our walkers are almost in firing range." One of the drivers said snapping Durame out of his thoughts.

The general nodded and straightened up a bit.

"Very well. You may fire when ready."

"Yes sir."

The walker wasn't particularly fast but its armament made up for that. In the distance he could see fortifications and walls. Foxholes and MG nests littered the area along with a few armored units. Durame spotted a few anti-air vehicles that their prisoners kindly identified as Wolverines. After an interrogation droid or two their captives were eager to comply with requests.

"Target their armor and stationary weapons first." Durame ordered stretching his neck.

After a few seconds the first shots were fired but not by the empire. The Scorpion tanks unleashed their destructive capabilities upon the AT-AT walkers. Now the corps was very proud of these tanks. They could even defeat the heaviest of covenant armor with them. Therefore it was quite the surprise when the shells simply bounced off the walkers. The imperial tanks were only scratched and now they could retaliate.

The AT-AT drivers expertly aligned their chin mounted laser cannons with the targeting resolutions provided by the walker's targeting systems. The ten walkers simultaneously opened fire on the UNSC lines. The heavy laser bolts threw dirt and metal up in the air with loud noise. The Scorpion's armored plating was sturdy but the heavy laser fire melted straight through the plating. It was a gruesome sight as the tanks and stationary weapons were completely decimated.

As the imperials came ever close the rest of them followed. After reaching a good spot the imperial officers deployed the fear of all rebel pilots. The AT-AA walkers' guns swiveled to the air unleashing torrents of lasers on the Shortswords up in the sky. The defenders were skilled but against such anti-air fire they stood little chance. Entire squadrons were eliminated by the walkers. All while the few storm troopers standing guard at them cheered when another fighter went down in flames.

"Target the city walls. Reduce them to rubble and then I want the rest of our troops to charge in." Durame ordered curtly before activating his holocommunicator.

The figure of captain Morix soon appeared, the captain in charge of the arquitens-class light cruisers that were going to besiege the city from above. Morix's uniform was slightly wrinkled, no doubt from the situation up in the sky.

"General Durame sir." The captain greeted in a salute.

"At ease captain. Have you reached your destination?" Durame asked getting to the point.

Durame's strategy was to assault from the south while the light cruisers would begin an aerial attack on the western side with fighter squadrons and turbolaser batteries. With the eastern district in shambles from orbital bombardment he assumed it would be unnecessary to dedicate an entire attack force to that side.

The captain nodded in affirmation, "We are in position within one minute sir."

"Very well captain." Durame said giving a slight grin. "Then commence the drop."

"Yes general."

The cruisers flew closer to the city until they hovered over the district. Instead of beginning a bombardment a few hatches opened up revealing almost humanoid grey machines. Without hesitation they all jumped out of the ships falling through the air. Like a swarm over a hundred of these machines descended upon the city.

The marines on the ground were stunned for a moment before some regained their senses and tried to do something. A few of the machines were shot down, landing as nothing but scrap, but most successfully landed using jetpacks in their backs. The marines on the streets looked in amazement at the two meters tall robots that had a single red light on the left side of their chest. From observation it was clear they were quite armored and lethal.

Without delay the droids raised their arms showing built-in blasters. The droids targeted the nearest targets and started blasting any hostile in their way. UNSC soldiers responded equally filling the armored machines with bullets. As droids and marines fell the droids kept on going not bothered with their comrades being destroyed. Since the super battle droids were scattered all over the place it was pure chaos.

The imperials under Durame's command took the opportunity to invade the city through the holes that the AT-AT walkers had created. The human defenders were stubborn and highly effective but they faltered beneath the staggering amount of troops that the empire possessed.

Durame's walker casually walked through one of the destroyed walls blasting marines as soon as they came in view. The drivers skillfully used the machine's destructive power while soaking up all the damage. Beneath the tank squads of storm troopers exchanged fire with marines.

"Target the marines on the left and destroy the building next to them." Durame ordered as he stood behind the two drivers.

"Yes sir."

"We have hostile reinforcements coming in!" A trooper reported over the comms.

Durame saw three Warthogs approaching with the middle one shooting rockets. The heavy caliber rounds and missiles were devastating to the imperial advance. A fact that Durame found irritating for both the holdup and the loss of his men.

"Take them down." The general commanded in annoyance at the enemies that popped up everywhere.

The drivers of the large walker heard the annoyance in the general's voice and hurried up to ease the man's tensions.

The blaster cannons of the heavy walker roared to life blasting a Warthog into smithereens. The other two drove around evading the blaster bolts but the imperial drivers were experienced with such tactics. Fighting rebels driving around in land speeders tended to give one such experience. Another Warthog failed to dodge and in one shot exploded. Seeing the futility of charging forward the last jeep turned around hoping to escape destruction. The AT-AT would have none of it. Blaster bolts hit the concrete beneath the vehicle flinging it in the air before crashing in a house.

"General we have an incoming transmission from delta company." The driver on the left reported when the comm pinged.

Durame acknowledged and answered the call. The hologram of a trooper with a pauldron quickly materialized.

"Sir we have successfully captured the commercial district and are fortifying our positions. We also have prisoners. Part of them are soldiers but a lot of civilians. Orders?" The commander of the troopers reported after snapping a salute.

Durame stroke his chin in thought before answering coldly, "Round all prisoners up and hold them there. Anyone who resists gets executed. Anyone who tries to escape gets executed. Anyone who fails to follow our demands gets executed. Am I clear?"

The officer saluted while replying, "Yes sir."

"Very well then. General Durame out."

The hologram disappeared and the imperial general turned his attention back to the battle in front of him.

For more than an hour they would slowly progress like that. They would attack, the UNSC would somehow retaliate, Durame would get a report and so on. Just as Durame considered bombarding more of the city they finally reached their destination; the city hall. In front of them was a large square full with UNSC defenders ready to make a last stand. Behind all those soldiers was the city hall were the general would obviously find the enemy commanders.

Before he could even give an order the marines opened fire with everything they had left. Battered up tanks and vehicles were added to the mix. Soldiers on both lines fell with either bullet holes or blaster marks.

"Use the walker to spot targets for the cruisers." Durame said as another rocket hit the AT-AT.

After a few seconds a Warthog was wiped away by a laser bolt from a cruiser in the air. The familiar sound of a TIE was heard over the battlefield as multiple TIE fighters made a strafing run. When the fighters were done they lost three fighters to the marines with rocket launchers. The MG gunners ripped the storm troopers apart covering the square in blood and body parts.

"Incoming!" A marine warned before a heavy laser bolt hit the ground throwing the soldiers away like ragdolls.

One of them got up and came face to face with a trooper in red tinted armor. The nuzzle of a flamethrower aimed at the marine. The scream of the unfortunate soldier echoed around them as the flame trooper burned her alive with sadistic glee. Another trooper in red tinted armor shook his head and killed the other surviving marines with his heavy blaster.

Durame felt the walker tremble again. He was getting annoyed with these marines. Before he could give another order his personal comm went off. The contact appeared to be Monatt upon closer inspection. He wasted no time to answer.

"Monatt is there something? I am in a firefight at the moment."

The admiral tugged at his collar and answered grimly, "I just got word our reinforcements will be here soon. Scanners also indicate the UNSC has ships on approach. I'd say we have less than a minute before they arrive while it will take more time for our own."

"Kriff…" Durame muttered rubbing his scalp.

"However there is more." Monatt said.

Durame frowned in confusion when he saw his friend look very uncomfortable. It made him wonder what could be wrong.

"Do tell me."

The admiral took a very deep breath before releasing it.

"Lord Vader is with our reinforcements and is angry about the result of our boarding action."

"That is," Durame began rubbing his neck as if Vader was already in position to choke him, "very unfortunate."

It was indeed too bad that upon capture of the disabled frigate it had somehow self-destructed once the bridge was captured. Few had made it off the ship and almost everyone including most high-ranking captives were killed.

"I am preparing the fleet and recalling all ships. I can't promise I'll be able to keep them off your back. From what I have seen and experienced these UNSC ships and starfighters are very sturdy. Not to mention that they will be the aggressive ones this time." His counterpart said shifting the topic away from the man with a lightsaber.

Durame nodded in agreement, "Their ground forces as well. So far our numbers and the fact they don't know much about our military have given us the advantage over their soldiers. Those slugthrowers are very deadly."

"You saw what they have on their ships. Just two shots and you lose a destroyer."

"Indeed. I'll capture the capital before lord Vader arrives. My troops are clearing the last resistance as we speak."

"I guess that they somehow knew we were coming but had no knowledge of who we really were. The fast response in the form of ships and the fleet that was placed here proves that much." Monatt added in thought.

"I agree. Their ground forces were always ready and waiting. Some fortifications couldn't have been placed in only a few hours. Don't worry, the capital will fall within half an hour now I captured the city hall and their leaders."

"Alright then. Monatt out."

* * *

 **Slipspace**

 **Autumn-class heavy cruiser** _ **Ranger**_

 **Bridge**

"ETA is one minute admiral." The navigation officer announced from his station.

Admiral Alexander Reaves gave a curt nod and loudly ordered over the PA system, "All hands on deck! Man your battle stations! All pilots to their craft and all gunners to their assigned stations! We will engage the enemy within one minute!"

The reinforcements sent to make an attempt at freeing Harvest was made out of multiple cruisers and destroyers along with a few carriers and frigates. Not as large as the original fleet of Kovalic but still enough to deal damage. Especially now they had intel on their enemy.

The elderly admiral then sat down in his command chair and waited for the ship to exit slipspace while the crew members on the bridge hurried at their stations. While he waited he made one last mental list of important things to remember.

The enemy has ships longer than a heavy cruiser, their weapons are energy-based and more effective in close range combat, they have superior numbers when it comes to fighters but far less quality, their shields could take only one MAC shot before failing unless it was one of their larger ships, they were already on the ground and lastly but not least there was no certainty he could win. Kovalic's efforts proved that much.

"Exiting slipspace in five, four, three, two, one…" An officer called out alerting him of their arrival.

The light of the slipspace tunnel was soon replaced by the view of Harvest. To the relief of many it was not being glassed or destroyed in another way like the Covenant did during the war. The only thing that was out of place was the blockade looming over the planet. One of the ensigns gave a whistle at the imperial ships as the scans were completed. The imperial fleet counted a hefty amount of warships including some that were even larger than an Autumn-class heavy cruiser.

Reaves gave credit where it was due. The wreckage of destroyed imperial vessels drifted between his fleet and his enemy's. Kovalic didn't go down without a fight.

"Admiral the enemy is not moving to attack but scans indicate they are powering up their weapons." An ensign spoke up hands working on a console.

The ship's AI appeared on its console as a woman in a lab coat stating, "The enemy has assumed a line formation. The larger ships form the bulk while the smaller vessels are spread around them. In addition to that every imperial warship is spread out but is able to converge on one position quite fast."

"They must be using this formation to combat our MAC weapons." Captain Donnelly pointed out as the XO stood at his commanding officer's side.

"Fast forward. Target the largest ships and launch our fighters but have them stay with us." Reaves ordered and in an instant the bridge came to life.

The ship's engines shook and roared as the heavy cruiser went forward with its fellow UNSC vessels following. The hangars opened up launching dozens of aircraft that poured out of them. All of the flyboys stuck close to their warships while the weapons of said ships warmed up. A wave of starships charged into battle intent to free the colony world of Harvest.

"Hostiles are moving sir." The AI, Eva, announced drawing the admiral's attention.

Just as the AI said most of the imperial star destroyers banked to the right to meet the enemy head on. The line of destroyers and frigates spread out even further while those in the back seemed to only change their position so they faced the UNSC. Yet the TIEs were already on their way to attack their foe immediately.

"Enemy fighters are coming for us. They outnumber ours a little more than two to one." Eva continued.

Reaves gave a nod and ordered loudly in anticipation, "I want all point-defense weapons aimed at those eyeballs. We'll punch right through them and those ships. Let's blitzkrieg their asses!"

"Yes sir!" The bridge crew chorused focusing on their jobs.

Just before the swarm of starfighters came into firing range the sensor officer called out, "The enemy's reserves are powering up their engines. Unknown readings."

"What do you mean unknown readings?" Donnelly asked taking a look at the energy readings himself.

Before any other comment could be given the imperial ships flashed out of existence only to reappear a mere second later at the fleet's starboard side. Reaves eyes widened considerably as the imperials floated so close to his own fleet.

"Shift weapons to those ships now!" He commanded with urgency knowing what would come.

While the UNSC escorts swiveled turrets around to target the enemy the Victories along with three Imperial-class star destroyers merely fired when ready. A starboard barrage was unleashed upon the UNSC dealing a heavy blow to both shields and hulls. The heavy turbolasers installed on the ISDs tore through hull plating as if it was simply tissue paper. Slugs were shot back pounding on the imperials draining their shields.

With most point-defense weapons aimed at the swarm in the front the launched TIE fighters and bombers had more of a chance to hit the important ships. A few bombers already tore away the hulls and weapons of a single destroyer. The TIEs also engaged the surprised Broadswords. TIE interceptors chose their targets and pursued relentlessly. Pilots had to watch out if they didn't want to collide with another fighter or a capital ship. Squadron leaders rallied their men and women to counter the surprise attack that had already claimed many lives.

Two heavy frigates altered their direction and fired their MACs at a Victory punching through shields and hitting the reactor along with the engines causing the destroyer to go supernova. Chunks of debris was scattered around and more than one pilot in the vicinity of the destroyed vessel died in the explosion. As retribution one of the other Victories fired ion cannons along with heavy turbolaser batteries at the two frigates. The smaller warships endured the punishment but soon became crippled under the barrage.

Then the initial swarm of TIEs hit the UNSC fleet head on. The ion torpedoes along with endless streams of green laser bolts slammed into the bulkheads of both large and small ship. Cruisers and destroyers could take the hits but the frigates were less lucky. Even while surviving they lost armor and weapons which would prove to be disastrous if the rest of the imperials reached them. Slugs were shot in all directions fending off the tsunami of TIEs in an attempt to prevent major losses.

Admiral Reaves felt his blood boil and gave a single command that promised retribution.

"Fire all MACs and archer missiles! Blast those imperial scumbags to kingdom come!" He yelled with sheer defiance and determination.

The UNSC fleet let a rain of massive slugs leave their cannons with the imperials as their targets. Smaller vessels like the Venator and Victory suffered greatly when the MAC shots hit their shielded hulls. Evaporated shields and torn hulls resulted in the destruction of said star destroyers. It was a punch straight to the gut of the imperial naval commander. Losing more than one ISD also inflicted great losses that would diminish the chances of imperial victory.

When the main imperial fleet reached firing range they were evenly matched by the UNSC. With the surprise attack wearing off it became a deadly fight between two navies with neither giving ground. One had quality and the other quantity but when it came down to tactics and leadership the two opposing admirals found themselves evenly matched. Some of the TIE pilots were actually veterans and some of the UNSC pilots were rookies recruited after the human-covenant war. It was a stalemate.

"Admiral," An ensign began drawing the man's attention aboard his bridge, "the Spartan IVs are ready for deployment."

That was like music to Reaves' ears. If they couldn't get Harvest they would get the enemy commander or another high ranking officer in the imperial navy.

"Have you found out which ship is their command ship?" He asked to be certain.

Eva manifested on her pedestal to answer the question immediately.

"I believe it is the capital ship in the middle in the third line. Its identification tag reads as 'ISD _Grievous_ '. The pelicans containing the boarding party that consists out of marines and Spartans has its coordinates and should be able to board if we provide enough support." The AI explained formally.

Reaves sent a doubting look at the star destroyer that had two smaller dagger shaped corvettes around it. The move was risky but the results would be highly rewarding.

"Alright, do it. Give them both fighter and frigate support. I want those teams on those ships now." The admiral instructed convinced.

"Aye sir." The AI responded already sending the approval.

* * *

 **Autumn-class heavy cruiser Ranger**

 **Hangar bay C**

"Departing now. You guys should strap in back there. It's going to be bumpy ride." The Spartan pelican's pilot yelled from his seat in the cockpit with excitement.

"Thanks for the heads-up." A Spartan in brown colored ENFORCER-class armor with a few tools attached to it answered sarcastically. His BR85 heavy barrel service rifle in his hands with a slight modification namely the scope.

"At least we're getting some action wouldn't you say Tonkovich?" Another Spartan IV wearing VENATOR-class armor said checking his M739 light machine gun. The heavy weapon was polished to the point it glinted in the pelican's light.

Again another man wearing the same armor chuckled lowly and nodded curtly. His M45D tactical shotgun sitting in his lap while a large Fixation Bowie combat knife strapped to his left arm. The five grenades on his belt furthered his intimidating appearance.

"Alright let's go over the mission objectives one more time." Their fireteam leader spoke up with his M392 designated marksman rifle in one hand with the tip of his gun resting on his shoulder. This Spartan IV had SOLDIER-class armor with yellow stripes over the brown on his helmet.

Half of the five man fireteam groaned in exasperation.

The final squad member equipped with the DEADEYE-class armor and a brand-new SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle at the ready voiced the team's opinion in a rather dry tone.

"We went over our objectives four times already. Lighten up Donatello, we were already soldiers before this but now we're IVs. You think these invaders stand any chance against Spartans?" The sole female member said rolling her eyes beneath the helmet.

"That attitude will get you killed one day Rose." Fabio, their sarcastic engineer, stated with a mocking tone.

"You first dickhead." Rose retorted quickly.

"Alright stop it you two. Fine if you guys know everything I'll just summary it to be sure. We get in, locate the highest ranking officer we can find and evacuate. Transport will be waiting and if it's not there we hijack the enemy's craft. Any questions?" Donatello interjected.

One hand shot up.

"Yes Jansen?"

"Who's gonna buy the first round when we get back?" The Spartan with the SAW joked with a large grin plastered on his face.

The rest chuckled but Donatello simply shook his head.

"If you manage to do this mission without one of your terrible jokes I'll buy." He answered exasperated.

Jansen and Rose high-fived with shit eating grins making their leader curse them silently.

The pelican shook heavily before regaining balance. More and more laser fire passed the aircraft as it got closer to its destination. The pilot had to make some risky maneuvers to avoid getting shot down. When the group of pelicans almost reached the star destroyer the two light cruisers aimed their turbolasers at them. Again heavy laser fire rained down upon them taking out two pelicans before they finally reached the hangar.

When they entered the hangar the dropships' front guns roared to life harassing the storm troopers guarding the place. The boarding party wasted no time jumping out and running for the nearest cover. Both marines and Spartans assumed positions before returning fire on the troopers.

Two troopers manning e-web heavy repeating blasters were blasting away at the boarders but the Spartan IV with the sniper rifle silenced them as soon as she got to action.

"Marines, show how we deal with alien scum!" The marines' commanding officer cheered on ripping another trooper apart with her SAW.

The troopers that had been guarding the hangar stood little chance against trained Spartan IVs and veteran UNSC marines that saw combat during the human-covenant war. For every trooper that scored a hit two others were on the ground lying in their own blood. As soon as a gap in the storm trooper lines appeared the Spartans dashed forward slipping into one of the corridors.

"Alright get us a path to the bridge of this ship." Donatello ordered sweeping the small hallway with his rifle at the ready and his finger on the trigger.

"On it." Rose complied bringing up the results of a scan that Eva made. It was a rough sketch but clear enough to have general sense of direction. "We need to follow this corridor which should lead us to some sort of lift. From there we can ascend to the bridge tower where we'll find our target."

"Fabio and Tonkovich take point. The rest follow suit. Let's move out people we're on a tight schedule."

And so the five Spartans moved on with haste yet caution. Their augmented reflexes were sharp enough to react to any surprise. Even a mouse droid got spooked the instant it rolled up and five weapons were aimed at it.

Their augmented hearing alerted them to footsteps further ahead. With a few gestures the fireteam took positions and were ready for the troopers that poured into the hallway. Before blaster bolts were fired bullets found their marks with amazing precision. The storm troopers could only throw themselves at the elite soldiers in the hope of pushing them back. A futile attempt as the shields of the Mjolnir armor fended off the deadly ionized gas.

"We need more reinforcements! Some sort of UNSC super soldiers with shields are tearing us apart!" A trooper reported using his commlink but got silenced by a sniper shot that pulverized the helmet and the head. The corpse fell backwards missing a good chunk of his face.

"More hostiles incoming." Jansen commented spinning around covering their backs as storm troopers came from behind attempting to flank the intruders.

With his rifle barking the augmented soldier tore storm trooper armor apart splintering the white plastoid. Blood painted the grey walls and floor creating a horrific sight. At one point two troopers threw thermal detonators but one got thrown back at them while the other only eliminated shields. It wasn't looking good for the troopers.

Jansen cursed when a blaster bolt his right leg scorching the armor. The heat managed to seep through giving him a very unpleasant and painful experience.

"Almost there! The lift is in sight." Donatello said once the turbolift appeared on the end of the corridor. Only six storm troopers and one heavy trooper armed with a rotary blaster cannon stood in their way.

The heavy fire coming from the heavy trooper forced them to take cover but Tonkovich decided to get up close and personal. With incredible speed he closed in on the nearest trooper and placed a shotgun shell right into the man's breastplate. The piece of armor caved in immediately just like the dead trooper's actual chest. Then he proceeded to fire another shell hitting the second trooper in the leg before shooting the left side of his breast. Three troopers tried ganging up on him but with a shotgun in one hand and a combat knife in the other the Spartan IV killed them with relative ease. The two remaining troopers were so distracted by the danger only a few footsteps away that two well-placed DMR shots hit them in the head.

A frag grenade was all that was needed to eliminate the last obstacle in their path allowing them to take a breather.

"These guys don't know when to quit." Fabio spoke up reloading his rifle.

Jansen scoffed and showed his back where a large scorch mark was placed.

"You can tell they don't have a good aim but once a bolt hits you it does a lot of damage. I can still feel the heat coming off from it." The gunner said unhappy with the fact that his armor had a black mark on it. He never liked battle scars. It didn't matter whether they were on his armor or body.

"You think that's bad?" Rose said showing her left shoulder plate. It was almost unrecognizable and was molten to the point it was completely disfigured.

Donatello shook his head and told them, "We'll moan about our armor later. For now we have an objective to complete."

Just as he said that the three turbolifts opened revealing a dozen of super battle droids. The B2s immediately raised their arms and began blasting at the IVs. Said soldiers didn't hesitate to return the favor. The bullets obviously had less effect on the armored chassis of a B2. The defeated droids toppled over while their allies simply walked over them showing no sign of stopping their advance.

One of the droids in the back raised its rocket launcher arm aiming it at Tonkovich. The rocket was launched in an instant soaring through the corridor. Behind his polarized visor Tonkovich widened his eyes in surprise and rolled away. It saved him but the blast still knocked the air out of his lungs as he was flung against a durasteel wall. With his dazed condition and depleted shields a laser bolt easily penetrated his armor wounding his right leg.

"Cover fire!" Fabio yelled as he sprinted for his downed teammate.

Rose placed a round in the last droid as Fabio checked on Tonkovich. The close quarters combat specialist hissed in pain with the burning sensation enveloping his senses. The laser bolt had gone through his unshielded armor and left a nasty burn wound on the now aching leg. Fabio pulled out a small med kit before applying medicine. After Donatello gave a sign to the rest to secure the area he too checked up on Tonkovich.

"How bad is it?" He questioned without delay.

Fabio gave a small sigh and shook his head.

"The leg is useless at the moment. I treated his wound but he'll need a real doctor. Luckily his armor protected him enough so it only tore some skin and muscles apart." The Spartan replied while putting the small med kit away.

"Sorry for being careless sir." The older man spoke up through the now numbing pain.

Donatello shook his before responding, "Not your fault soldier. Those things weren't easy."

Rose walked up to the three asking, "What now?"

"Fabio you get Tonkovich back to the hangar. Defend those marines and pelicans. The rest of you with me. This elevator will get us to our objective." Their leader ordered.

The Spartans gave curt nods and while both Tonkovich and Fabio headed back to the hangar the others entered the elevator.

Jansen pressed on the button on the wall and soon they felt the elevator ascend. They stood there in complete silence with only the mission occupying their thoughts. Rose checked her clips to see if they were still full while Jansen proceeded to run a quick diagnostic of his systems.

As the turbolift came to a halt the three Spartan IVs raised their weapons. The door opened with one trooper in front of it. By the looks of the storm trooper's surprised posture he was about to use the lift himself and didn't expect three tall armored soldiers to be in it. Before he could raise his blaster he felt his neck snap and then everything went dark. Donatello dropped the dead body and sprinted out of the elevator followed by his companions.

Just as they were about to continue their comms went off. Donatello answered the call as admiral Reaves' ID tag appeared on the HUD.

"Admiral?"

"Spartans we have a problem. A few minutes ago another imperial fleet entered the system. Our sensors picked up several craft flying towards your position. Snatch whatever officer or soldier you can find and get the hell out of there." The admiral alerted with haste and anxiousness.

The Spartan's eyes widened a bit but replied curtly, "Affirmative. We'll wrap this up as soon as possible."

"See that you do Spartans. Retaking Harvest is out of the question at the moment. That intel you can get us could possible become a huge advantage when we receive reinforcements from command. Reaves out." The admiral said and cut off the comm.

Jansen let out a soft curse as Donatello gestured for them to move up. They ran through the corridors watching their surroundings for any possible encounter. Eventually they came upon the bridge. Before they could do anything an officer at the end of the spacious room looked away from the officer he was talking to.

"Close the blastdoors and deal with this threat!"

As soon as the words left the man's mouth the heavy doors began to close. The three Spartans ran forward but just as they were about to make it six troopers came from the sidelines with weapons drawn. The UNSC augmented soldiers opened up killing the first troopers before they could even let loose a single blaster bolt.

But alas they weren't fast enough since the doors finally shut and more troopers jogged up to their position. Followed by the squad of storm troopers two tall droids with cloaks also walked forward. They were humanoid in shape but looked completely different from the machines that the Spartans encountered earlier. The red optics seemed to glare at their enemies and with a quick motion they activated their staffs. At both ends electricity began to sparkle in a purplish light.

Jansen grunted against the powerful yet fast hit from one of the droids that knocked the SAW out of his hands. He ducked under a horizontal sweep from the machine that then threw a punch at the heavy gunner. He parried using his forearms as a shield but the blow still drained his shields and pushed him back a little. The magnaguard proceeded to slash at him with the bottom end of the staff from the right. This time Jansen dodged and threw a punch of his own at the droid's chest. Even with the augmented strength it only forced the sturdy IG-series droid back. The two then continued battling each other.

By now most troopers were downed and Donatello engaged the second magnaguard. Meanwhile Rose dealt with any other troopers that came after them.

The Spartan fireteam leader fired at the droid but it showed to be far more agile than he thought. With a display of superhuman acrobatics it closed the distance and swiped with its staff at him. The movements were fast but to a Spartan's eye it was a normal pace. Donatello evaded as much as he could but again to his surprise the droid seemed to adapt. It started to predict his movements and it became more difficult to block the magnaguard's attacks.

"Take them down as soon as possible! They are able to adapt to our combat style." He warned his team.

"Noted." Jansen replied barely dodging another attack.

Once more the magnaguards pressed on using spins, slashes and stabs. And again the Spartans were forced on the defensive. Jansen saw his LMG out of the corner of his eye. When the magnaguard attacked he dodged and rolled over to the weapon. He grabbed it but felt electricity course through his body. The magnaguard scored a hit against him wounding his left side. Jansen endured the pain as he stood up and opened fire on the droid. Its metal body got dented by the rain of bullets but countered by spinning its hand with the electrostaff in it.

"Oh shit." Jansen deadpanned as he failed to dodge in time.

The spinning staff hit him straight in the face sending shocks throughout his body once more. The visor of his helmet cracked with a piece of it falling off. His exposed blue eye looked up seeing the droid with its staff raised to finish him off. Using the last of his strength he avoided the finishing blow and grabbed a discarded blaster next to a trooper corpse. The droid turned its emotionless head to him and came face to face with the blaster. The blaster roared to life and soon the droid went offline, a small smoking hole where its right optic used to be.

Jansen sighed and threw the blaster away. He stood up slowly and focused on regaining his balance. His body ached all over especially his chest.

"Jansen are you alright?" Donatello asked as the man steadied him.

The gunner nodded, "Yeah I'm fine. Think I got a few broken ribs but I'm okay. These things are a pain in the ass man."

"Hate to interrupt but we got company!" Rose yelled placing another bullet in a storm trooper.

"We can't get through. Fall back to the hangar, we'll pick up some imperial goon on our way." Donatello ordered with regret as he regarded the closed doors one more time.

For the next few minutes they sprinted through the hallway they took initially with great haste. On their way Rose knocked out an officer by the looks of the uniform and threw the guy over Jansen's back. They kept up the pace and finally reached the hangar. Upon arrival the surviving marines along with Tonkovich and Fabio perked up. It appeared they were ready to leave as well.

"Isn't that just a regular officer?" Fabio asked confused by the unconscious man on Jansen's shoulder.

"There were complications." Rose simply answered.

"Everyone get in! We're leaving this place!" Donatello ordered loudly pointing at the pelicans.

The marines piled in taking over the unconscious imperial. Only a few marines that were spread over the area to cover them and the Spartans remained. The first pelican with the prisoner onboard departed leaving only the marines and Spartans behind with another pelican. Before anyone else got the chance to enter the transports a blastdoor opened with a hiss.

The UNSC soldiers aimed their weapons but were surprised by the unknown individual in front of them.

The man, or at least they assumed he was, was clad in black. He was covered in black armor and a black cape as well. There was some sort of device on his chest and in a gloved hand he held some sort of cylinder. Yet what unnerved the soldiers was the head. It was covered by a mask that eerily looked like a skull. The black lenses where his eyes should be were quite ominous. The entire posture of the man was intimidating. His very presence seemed to cool the air and bathe the hangar in darkness.

At his sides multiple robots stepped forward with their weapons at the ready. One even carried a sword on its back.

Then they heard the slow repetitive sound of a breather. A slow deep inhale followed by a slow deep exhale. So on and on. The sound of rhythmic mechanical human breathing created by breathing through a scuba tank regulator was a very good description of what echoed throughout the hangar. The dreadful silence lasted for a few seconds, no one moving a muscle seemingly paralyzed by the very presence of the armored individual.

Then the man spoke in a deep baritone that sent shivers through the soldiers' spines.

"Your UNSC has impressed me. Never before encountered we such advanced slugthrowers nor such powerful armor. They will make fine additions to the empire once we have crushed you." The black clad man rumbled with praise yet menacingly.

"Too bad we can't say the same about your forces." Fabio shot back keeping his weapon aimed at the figure's head.

"You will soon see why you should fear the might of the empire. It appears I will have to give a demonstration of the empire's strength and that of the dark side." The imperial said coldly scaring one of the marines to the point that the man pulled the trigger of his DMR.

The bullet harmlessly deflected off the man falling on the ground. The marine seemed to understand what he had just done as the black helmet stared straight at him. The UNSC soldiers tensed as the man brought up his right hand. Suddenly the marine felt his throat constrict. His squad mates watched in horror as his hands clawed at the invisible attacker. With a single fist motion the marine's neck broke. With lifeless eyes the corpse fell on the floor just like the bullet had done.

The UNSC soldiers turned their attention back to the man who pushed out his arm with the cylinder in it a bit before saying with that same deep cold voice, "Now witness the power of the dark side."

And with that a blade of pure red energy extended out of the weapon.

As soon as the man advanced the marines and Spartans opened fire like the commando droids did. Yet no matter how much they fired at him the bullets deflected harmlessly off him when they got close. He brought up his arm pointing it at a marine and then pulling back. Shockingly the marine also got pulled back by an unseen force. Her face displayed horror and surprise as she flew at the man before getting slashed in two by the blade.

A marine charged him with a shotgun enraged by his squad mates their demise. Before getting close enough the imperial threw the sword at him. He felt the burning hot weapon lodge itself in his chest before being pulled out of it. As the dead body dropped on the cold durasteel floor the blade flew back into the man's outstretched hand.

The Spartans watched helplessly as the marines got cut down without mercy. One of them even got thrown high in the air before descending with a loud crack. Needless to say the marine's bones were shattered on impact. The droids proved to be tricky as well as they jumped across the room with ruby bolts leaving their weapons.

Donatello realized this was useless. He did what he had to do.

"To the pelican now!" He shouted while stepping back and firing at the advancing killer.

Everyone piled in but suddenly Fabio found himself unable to move. His fellow Spartans saw it too late as they entered the pelican before a red blade appeared from his chest. Numbly he watched the red line of energy sticking out of his body. He looked up trying to say one last thing but he couldn't. The red disappeared and he fell on his knees. With one last glance at his team he closed his eyes and let out his final breath.

"You bastard!" Rose roared as Jansen and Donatello restrained her.

The pelican rose up and just before it left they could hear one last thing.

"I am the supreme commander of the imperial military, dark lord of the sith, and your executioner."

"I am Darth Vader."


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter will mostly be centered around the imperials and the next one as well with more Vader in it but after the next chapter I plan on beginning the Halo 4 events. So in that chapter you can expect the Chief and the Infinity fighting against the Didact, Prometheans, the Storm Covenant and the empire.**

 **Also a little quiz: How did Darth Vader deflect the bullets in the last chapter?**

 **Was it A: his armor? (for example the shoulder armor that was resistant to blaster and energy blades, don't believe me then look it up)**

 **Was it B: his lightsaber? (which could deflect blaster bolts, not so sure about plasma but in this story it will be able to)**

 **Was it C: the force? (mystical energy that Vader is very powerful with and can use certain abilities like a force barrier which can deflect both physical and energy attacks)**

 **To those who complained about armor and lightsaber, here is your answer. Don't jump to conclusions, I didn't even write that he deflected the bullets with his lightsaber. Though I admit I should have been more clear on that so my mistake. (And just so you know I have been watching generation tech for a very long time. I love their versus videos!)**

* * *

 **Sanghelios**

 **Vadam keep**

 **Vadam council**

Thel Vadam, ruler of the Vadam keep and arbiter of Sanghelios sat silently at his seat as all four councilors took their places. He was a former warrior of the Covenant but after failing to protect halo installation four, a holy ring in covenant religion, had resulted in the prophets branding him a heretic. The mark of his shame was still present on his scarred body. In the past he was ashamed by it but after learning the truth about the Covenant and its leaders he wore it with pride. Never before had he felt such great satisfaction as when he pierced the false prophet of Truth on his sword. The lying bastard died at his hands and after that he escaped the Flood with the demon he had come to call his friend. To this day he still hoped the Master Chief would be found.

But at the moment he had a council meeting to lead so they could discuss the arrival of a new potential enemy.

"Kaidon, may we ask as to why you have called us here?" Councilor Rtukan questioned politely. The old Sangheili wore no armor but rather the normal clothing his kind wore. It looked like a kimono but with some differences.

The other three councilors nodded in agreement.

Thel fixed his gaze on all four of them and began to speak.

"I was contacted one hour ago by the human president about a potential threat to our galaxy. The human colony of Harvest was assaulted by aliens that call themselves the Galactic Empire. They demanded Harvest and its populace to be surrendered to them. If the humans did not comply they would use force which they have done." He summarized quickly and made it short.

Another councilor narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What has this to do with us?" He asked suspiciously.

"The UEG and its president has asked us to join in their battle." The arbiter answered dully.

All councilors except for the sole female one snorted in disgust. Honestly the arbiter suspected they would react like this. At least the female did not show her disgust so openly.

"Why should we help them? Their kind murdered many of us in the war and do not trust us at all. Not that I would trust a human but still. This empire only attacked the humans so far so why is that we must fight them as well." The same councilor objected passionately. Azo was the most easily angered councilor of the Vadam keep, a trait that sometimes came in handy but at other times frustrated Thel immensely.

"I know that very much Azo," The arbiter said with a scowl, "but we do not know if the empire will stop with the humans. So far it looks like they will stop at nothing to conquer us all. Besides do you have any idea what would happen if we do not help the humans and the empire attacks us?"

The councilor shrugged stating, "Then we fight them and beat them."

Before the arbiter could respond the sole, and surprisingly, female councilor interjected.

"If we get attacked then it is highly unlikely that the humans would come to our aid. Our alliance with them is new which means we need to show that the Sangheili can be trusted. We have warriors and ships but the humans have workers along with technology. Sharing these resources only work in everyone's favor. That means working together in a war as well." Xura explained calmly as ever.

The arbiter found himself impressed with her reasoning and was glad that he had given her a seat on the council. It was for things like this he gave females more rights and higher positions within the Sangheili society. People like Azo however were against it.

"But there has been no attack. Must we send our warriors to fight a war for the humans? Who knows maybe they'll stab us in the back like the Jiralhanae and the San'Shyuum. We cannot afford to take the risk with the Storm Covenant still on the loose." Azo once again objected snarling slightly.

"Azo restrain yourself." The Sangheili on his right said softly yet sternly.

Azo immediately kept quiet at the command from his fellow councilor. Wearing grey clothes with gold runes on them Bala radiated wisdom and command. Both traits were common for a keep's lore master. He was easily the oldest within the room and while he was extremely old he still scared even the most hardened warriors.

"Thank you lore master. As I was saying they only asked us for assistance. I propose we accept but act as a defensive line first. We bolster our own borders and the human borders close to ours. That way we keep low for now but aid the humans in their battle. We can also afford Rtas and his fleet to fight naval battles alongside the humans. Perhaps even a few SpecOps can be spared." Arbiter proposed clicking his mandibles in slight thought.

Rtukan quickly caught up, "That way we contribute to the war while not having to actively fight. By doing that we maintain relations with the humans and keep ourselves defended against the Storm Covenant and an attack by this hostile empire."

"Speaking of the Storm, do we have any recent updates on their whereabouts?" Xura asked politely.

"There have been a few reports." Azo spoke up more calmly and respectful than earlier. "As far as we know they have made an occasional raid but it appears that their main fleet along with Jul Mdama is somewhere hiding in the outer regions of former covenant space. My spies informed me that Mdama has been hiding something related to the Forerunners."

The arbiter's eyes narrowed dangerously at the news. So did the other councilors and Rtukan even growled lowly.

"Any idea on what is of such importance?" Bala questioned as calm as ever. The news irked him as well, being a believer in the Forerunners but not the Covenant's ways, which wasn't surprising since he thought the Storm was a threat to Sanghelios.

"None I'm afraid. It seems Mdama is very secretive and my spies haven't been able to gather any sort of intel that could shed some light on the issue."

At that moment someone knocked on the decorated doors of the council chambers gaining the five important Sangheilis their attention. The arbiter straightened himself a bit and called out for the person to enter. it had to be something important or urgent if the guards allowed this intrusion. The doors opened up letting a Sangheili in sliver armor walk in. The Sangheili missed a few of his mandibles so anyone could quickly identify him.

"Rtas I thought you were inspecting our new CCS-class battlecruisers. What brings you here?" Arbiter asked his friend who he trusted completely.

"I was until I received some rather disturbing news." The Fleetmaster said with a slight nod as he walked towards the councilors. "I had to give the duty to my subordinates after receiving it and came here as soon as possible."

"Then what is it Fleetmaster Vadum?" Bala questioned with curiosity.

Rtas grabbed a small device from his belt and activated it. The round device began to hum before creating a holographic image. The image it produced showed the planet Duraan, a colony of the Sangheili, and the space around it. Suddenly out of nowhere a small machine pops up. It moves towards the colony world and orbits around until it approaches a corvette. The Sangheili ship launches two Banshees but upon reaching the machine it exploded leaving no trace of it. The device then shuts off and Rtas attaches it once more to his belt.

"What was that?" Rtukan asked tilting his head a bit to the side in confusion.

"I believe it was a probe. The corvette was close enough to pick up communication signals. They are none that we know of. It could be a new asset of the Storm or humans though the design doesn't resemble any of the two." Rtas explained.

"Then it must have been _theirs._ " Azo hissed with disdain.

"Most likely. The human leader was right." Bala added in agreement.

Now Rtas looked at them in confusion. He turned his confused gaze to the arbiter who gave short sigh.

"I will inform you within a moment Rtas." He said halting any questions his friend had. "But for now we agree to my proposal?"

All four councilors agreed without any hesitation though Azo was uncomfortable about it. Rtukan and Bala seemed to be neutral about it while Xura appeared to be actually positive. Thel nodded and dismissed the councilors who would inform the other keeps.

Once all of them were gone Thel stood up and approached the waiting Fleetmaster. He gestured for the naval officer to follow and soon they found themselves walking towards the arbiter's personal chambers. On the way he explained the situation to Rtas who grew more and more serious as he heard about it. Once they arrived at their destination Rtas finally commented.

"We still have the loyalists to worry about not to mention rogue Jiralhanae. We lost many in the great schism and now we go to war once again."

"The Sangheili have endured so far. We will survive this new adversary especially with our human allies." The arbiter assured him while sitting down at a table.

Rtas sat down as well before responding, "True, their demons will prove to be very useful. Even those shock troopers, ODSTs if I recall correctly, fight well. It is a pity that we haven't found the Master Chief yet."

Thel gave a short laugh and said with honesty, "If he was on the front line those imperials would run away like scared Unggoy. The man is a worthy ally indeed. I even dare call him friend. The time we fought together on earth and the ark forged a strong connection between us. Maybe one day if he returns I'll even call him brother."

Rtas gave the Sangheili equivalent of a grin and told him, "He was one tough fighter I give you that. I think even I would have enjoyed fighting with him. Alas my position keeps me stuck in that command chair on the bridge more than I'd like. "

"But it is necessary. We need every capable leader now if we want to fend off both Storm and imperials. I will send a message to the human president soon to confirm our partnership against the empire. I'll also ask for any information they have gathered. Surely that ONI of theirs has gathered a few things."

Rtas grimaced at the name of the intelligence branch of the UNSC. He shared the common disgust that even humans had for the shady organization. Up to this day he still stayed hostile against them. His sources hinted they had a hand in the formation of the Storm. There was no solid proof but he knew for sure that ONI had put its nose in Sangheili affairs. He trusted them as far as he could blast them with an energy projector.

"We'll see. Now that we are talking about threats I'm afraid I recently heard of something you would like to know about." Rtas said suddenly serious and businesslike.

Thel noticed the tone and crossed his arms. "Elaborate."

"A Kig-Yar world got hit by the Banished. Atriox picked up a few pirates and then left with them. He once more rounded up new soldiers for his already dangerously expanding army. He's planning something." Rtas growled with clear disdain for the Brute that managed to successfully defy the Covenant.

The arbiter gave a silent nod and looked out of the window watching the sunset for a moment. The orange light cast over his home world always calmed his soul.

"We'll have many dangers to deal with but I have faith in our own warriors and our allies." He stated with conviction when his eyes drifted back to Rtas.

The two Sangheili changed subjects and talked long into the cold night of Sanghelios.

….

 **Harvest**

 **ISD** _ **Grievous**_

 **Admiral Monatt's office**

Monatt had to admit he preferred talking to his superior rather over comms than in the flesh.

Both he and Durame were present along with admiral Piett and general Veers who had been brought aboard alongside their commanding officer. The dark tall form of Darth Vader was holding a datapad in his gloved mechanical hand which contained all confirmed losses during the capture of Harvest. They weren't dumb nor delusional, they knew that Vader did not tolerate failure. Sure Harvest was theirs but with such losses? The failed boarding attempt? The fact that the super soldier armor which had been recovered was useless due to a self-destruct protocol? It was a miracle their necks hadn't been broken yet.

The uncomfortable silence unnerved not only them but Piett as well. Vader's admiral simply had a perfect sabacc face. Veers probably did not pay any attention to it because of his military training and the fact he has nothing to do with it. When that dreadful silence seemed to become suffocating Vader spoke at last.

"Your victories outweigh your losses. Seeing that the UNSC dedicated so many forces to the protection of the planet it is simply inevitable to deal with these losses. I ordered you to get me Harvest and you did so." Vader rumbled putting down the datapad on Monatt's desk.

Said admiral and Durame finally let out sighs of relief before standing at attention.

"There are small pockets of resistance at the moment but we should be able to quell any uprisings. We have multiple prisoners, what should we do with them?" Durame said thinking about the few riots that took place right after the capture of the capital.

Vader's answer was cruel but effective; "Gather a pack of prisoners and publicly execute them while everyone else is forced to watch. Burn them alive and make sure to inform the population that resistance will be answered with force."

"Yes my lord." Monatt answered neutrally.

"The emperor wants this planet to become our base of operations in this galaxy. Therefore you two will stay here and accommodate the planet to imperial military demands. Build bases, airfields, prisons and even factories if necessary. The fleets I brought with me will commence the second phase of our plan which is to expand our foothold." Vader told the two officers not having to threaten them. While reading the datapad he sensed their fear and knowledge of what failure meant.

"My lord we also managed to capture some high ranking UNSC officers. They are currently in the detention block. Interrogation probes have been unable to make them talk so far. Perhaps you want to give it a shot?" Durame politely suggested yet a bit roughly due to his military background.

Vader didn't seem to care as he simply nodded, "Very well. I was hoping I could interact with one of them sooner or later. I shall depart immediately. Admiral Piett and general Veers, you will both return to the _Executor_ and prepare the ship for departure."

And with that he turned around, cape swirling because of the movement, and walked out of the room.

Fully aware of the four officers conversing once he left but paying no attention to it he made his way to his destination. On his way he passed by the occasional storm trooper squad that quickly made way for his broad form. While going down the hallways he saw scorch marks and stains of battle. He knew it was from the boarding attempt of the UNSC.

Ah yes, he decimated many survivors in the hangar and killed one of those super soldiers. He had seen their abilities and was impressed. While sustaining injuries they fended off dozens of troopers and two magnaguards. Even he would have had a hard time were it not for the force barrier he covered himself with during the fight that deflected the bullets once they came too close. The dark side had screamed in ecstasy at the death around him both in the hangar and outside. The power fueled him allowing to block even those powerful sniper bullets. However he was no fool, even his barrier had its limits.

Yet there was the thought that those Spartans were not the ones that won the war against the alien invaders. No they were weaker. Vader could sense it. He would meditate on this later.

At last he arrived in the detention block. Security was bolstered there at the moment because of the prisoners and with satisfaction he saw pairs of troopers at every door along with guards patrolling the small halls. There were even B2 battle droids standing guard. Another thing that placed Monatt in his list of competent subordinates.

The officer in charge saluted him immediately on his arrival.

"Lord Vader, welcome to the detention block. Can I help you with something?" The man greeted with some nervousness. It was only natural of course.

"I am here to interrogate the prisoners. Bring the highest ranking to me one by one. I want an interrogation probe along with one of Monatt's magnaguards. Tell him I ordered you to do so." Vader commanded crossing his arms.

The younger man nodded vigorously to show he understood, "Of course my lord. There is an available room just here on the right."

Vader gave a curt nod before entering the empty interrogation chamber. He stood there in silence waiting for the guards to bring in the first prisoner. While he waited he probed the minds of the captives using the force. Some were drenched in fear which he savored greedily, the dark side feasting on it. There were a few who remained strong even while they were probably awaiting their deaths if not a fate worse. He easily invaded their minds, noticing the force was rather weak and stale in every single one of them as if its presence was muted, and found interesting things. Memories of their childhood and adult life. Things that didn't have any value and yet some had scraps of useful information.

His probing was interrupted as the metal door opened up allowing two troopers to shove a prisoner inside rather roughly. The man in a naval officer's uniform resisted stubbornly which rewarded him in getting hit by one of the trooper's armored fists. While he was dazed the storm troopers hauled him towards the table. They placed him on it rather forcefully and proceeded to attach the restraints. Once done they took their places at the door acting as guards but also to intimidate the prisoner.

The doors once more opened allowing a magnaguard to enter along with a small black droid. The droid equipped with the electrostaff stood silently at the side with its red optics glaring at the prisoner. The interrogation probe hovered close to its head.

Vader once more relished in the fear that clawed at the captive's mind. The prisoner was focused on his mechanical breathing but couldn't see him. His dark form was still shrouded in the shadows of the dimly lit room. Once he was certain the prisoner's nerves were almost going haywire he finally stepped out of the shadows.

"Captain Alexander Collin, UNSC captain and former commanding officer of the _Trader_. You were captured by imperial forces on the planet after you escaped your ship with an escape pod. Do you remember this?" Vader questioned slowly while pacing around the captain.

"Yes." Came the simple and short answer.

"Then you must have quite some intelligence on how the UNSC works." Vader stated dryly.

"Yes." Came the same answer.

"You will tell me everything you know. I want tactics, formations, ships, space stations, military forces, planet locations and anything else of importance. You will give me what I want." Vader commanded with steel in his baritone voice.

"No." The captain spat in defiance.

That gained the captain pain he had never encountered before. It felt as if someone was pounding against his head yet the dark lord made no move.

"That was not a request captain. You will tell me willingly," And Vader looked straight in the man's pained eyes, "or unwillingly. To me it matters not. The only thing you can do is make this painful or not." Vader warned him towering over the captain.

"Go to hell scumbag." Collin hissed enduring the mental pain.

Vader narrowed his sickly yellow eyes and strengthened the mental assault. Collin couldn't contain himself since the pain was so immense. He cried out while trashing around. He could feel that someone was in his head trying to uncover every secret he held. As if cold fingers made out of ice yet burning as well grasped his head. Vader raised his arm before thrusting it towards Collin. A tsunami wave of new agonizing pain hit him. This pain more powerful. Sweat and tears drenched the naval officer as Vader continued to invade his mind.

Eventually the pain subsided. After a few whimpers Collin looked up seeing Vader gaze at him.

"Most interesting." Vader said gleefully.

Then as if an unspoken command was given the magnaguard strode forward. It activated its staff by slamming it on the ground. Collin watched fearfully as the purple energy sparked around the edges of the weapon. It spun the staff around in a display of skill and quickly jabbed the captain's side. Collin cried out in pain this time because of the shocks that coursed through his body. It lasted only two seconds but was strong enough to make his entire body spasm.

Collin gasped as his fingers kept on twitching for a moment. Vader reappeared once more.

"Submit or endure more agony." He demanded loudly making Collin's head pound.

But even so he refused to give in. He stayed silent and was rewarded by another jab this time against his leg. It hurt a lot but he did not give in. He bit on his lower lip so hard he could taste the copper taste of blood.

Vader seemed to grow more and more angry with the refusal of answers.

"So be it." He said before gesturing the probe to come forward. "Perhaps this will loosen your tongue."

For several minutes he kept on resisting. The little machine pulled out horror after horror out if its trick box. But the pain became unbearable, so much that he couldn't do it anymore. He wasn't trained to resist such torture, it was too brutal.

He broke down.

Collin answered every single question that the fiend in front of him asked. He tried to lie but somehow the dark figure knew when he lied which resulted in him getting shocked by the droid.

Vader felt dark satisfaction as the once proud UNSC captain was reduced to a wreck. Bruises and black marks dotted his body not mentioning the mental injuries. Mind probing was useful but sometimes it was better to resort to standard interrogation. Though imperial interrogation included lots of torture.

Especially when he was the interrogator.

The sith lord had to admit the UNSC was more capable than he thought. Advanced military protocols, super soldiers and AI were apparently frequently used by the UEG military. But then came a certain subject he found most interesting.

"Forerunners?" He repeated with piqued interest.

The man nodded and with a dry throat told him, "They are long gone but the tech they left behind is more advanced than anything else we have encountered. The Covenant saw them as gods. They had super weapons such as the halos capable of exterminating all life in the galaxy. I don't know anything else about them except that we're still learning about them."

Darth Vader grinned wickedly at the thought of this Forerunner tech added to the empire's arsenal. The second death star was being constructed but if they could capture a halo it would be a huge advantage for the empire and the sith.

Deciding he had enough he raised his arm.

Collin expected another mental assault from the monster but to his horror he couldn't breathe anymore. After a few seconds everything became hazy and darkness was gripping at the edges of his vision. The last thing he knew before losing consciousness was the dark form turning around giving orders to the soldiers to dispose of him.

He didn't care anymore, the darkness was all too inviting for him to resist.

…..

 **Human colony Biko**

 **Tikia town**

 **Sergeant BT-1982, Sun company**

BT-1982 couldn't believe what he saw. What was once his company was now reduced to half strength with numerous of his comrades scattered around the town lying in their own blood. What was supposed to be securing a medium sized town turned into a bloodbath. Upon arrival three quarter of their walker support had been annihilated in an ambush. Concealed marines had used rocket launchers to blow apart their AT-STs. Now all they had left was their infantry, one AT-MP and three APCs.

"Medic! We need a medic over here!" A trooper called out crouched close to a downed trooper who was bleeding from the leg. Luckily the bullet hadn't hit anything vital it seemed.

"Target that house!" A trooper yelled pointing at a house which was occupied by marines.

As soon as the trooper had spoken that single sentence a single round pierced his head and left a hole in helmet. The corpse dropped on the ground but he hadn't gone unnoticed. The single AT-MP steadied itself before firing two rockets into the house. The two-story building shook and collapsed as the punishment proved to be too much. It then swiveled its rotary blaster around giving suppressing fire for a squad that advanced.

BT-1982 gestured his squad to follow and soon they found themselves in an alleyway where a small firefight took place. Four troopers were fighting only two marines yet when the sergeant's squad arrived two troopers already got shot by the marines. With quick thinking he threw a thermal detonator at the marines. The explosive went off killing one and wounding the other. As the marine struggled to stand one of the troopers placed two blaster bolts in the woman's head.

"Move up." 1982 said with his blaster rifle aimed at the space in front of him.

"This is captain BT-5256 to all squad leaders. The enemy has a tank at the market. I want any available trooper with a rocket launcher in the vicinity to assist in taking it out. That tank has claimed fourteen lives already." Their company leader ordered over the comms.

The sergeant looked at BT-2366 who had a rocket launcher strapped to her back.

"Looks like you're up Boomstick. Let's go blow up that tank shall we." He said eagerly.

"Yes sir!" She replied with eagerness as well. Payback would be nice.

They jogged forward weapons ready and turned right at the corner. After a few minutes of jogging and participating in firefights they arrived at the market where the marines had taken defensive positions. Wreckage of an imperial APC showed that the Scorpion had successfully inflicted casualties. Aside from the tank there were multiple marines all equipped with different kinds of weapons that tore storm trooper armor apart.

"Line up and fire!" BT-1982 yelled as he raised his blaster.

The squad took positions behind cover and opened up on the enemy. Obviously the tank had suffered damage if the scorch marks and molten armor was any indication. The gunner on top returned fire killing a squad member before he got the chance to keep his head down. His entire torso was ripped apart by the heavy machine gun covering the wall behind him in blood.

A nearby group of troopers saw their distress and attracted the tank's gunner his attention. This allowed Boomstick to grab her launcher. She crouched before carefully taking aim. As she pulled the trigger the rocket departed instantly. With its full force it hit the already weakened armor and practically blew the tank's driver compartment apart. Before the gunner could escape to a safe position, a second rocket from another trooper impacted against his gun taking the man's life.

Some of the troopers cheered but their happiness soon turned into dread as marine reinforcements flanked them.

"The left line has fallen! Watch out for an enemy counterattack!" A trooper yelled in desperation while blasting away at the new hostiles.

One by one the storm troopers fell with bullets drilling holes in their bodies. TB-1982 widened his eyes in shock as only his squad and a few others remained.

"Fall back!" He ordered loudly and waved his comrades back.

The entire group that had been close to capturing the market sprinted away from the slaughter without any hesitance. Ruthlessly the marines took down a few of the fleeing soldiers. One DMR shot hit one of TB-1982's squad causing the poor soul to fall. Before anyone could help him another one hit him in the back and pierced his heart.

"Bombers inbound!" Someone announced on the comms.

The familiar sound of TIEs echoed over the town as the five TIE bombers made their approach. A rain of concussion missiles descended upon the village decimating buildings and lives. A large bulk of the UNSC forces got hit but a few unfortunate imperials found themselves hit as well. Nevertheless when the bombers moved on the ground forces swarmed in.

The charging storm troopers overwhelmed the marines but in their charge they lost around a quarter of what little forces they had left. It was brutal but resulted in a costly victory.

TB-1982's gaze wandered over the marines that were lined up on the street. The captured soldiers were stripped of their equipment and were on their knees with hands behind their heads. All of them glared back defiantly at the masked imperials yet some were ready to break down if pushed a little bit further.

"Got another one sir." One of the sergeant's men announced as the trooper dragged prisoner forward.

1982 regarded the young man in front of him and couldn't help but notice that he was probably around twenty years old.

"A little bit young wouldn't you say?" He remarked dryly and gestured to take him away just when another storm trooper jogged up to the sergeant.

"Sergeant TB-1982, we have received orders to guard the prisoners until further instructions. They also said to make an example of anyone that tries to escape."

"Understood. Separate the civilians from the marines. And get me one of each, I'll make an example right now." TB-1982 said darkly as he unclipped his blaster pistol.

The prisoners murmured in confusion when a marine was dragged out of his group by one trooper while another dragged a crying civilian woman with him. Both of the captives were pushed to their knees by the troopers. TB-1982 stood behind them with his blaster pistol raised.

"All of you be quiet! You are officially prisoners of the empire, attempts to escape are heavily discouraged. Fail to comply to our commands and you will face execution!" The sergeant yelled with hatred for the marines. Most of the prisoners were now mumbling to each other in fear. "For every soldier that tries to escape or fight back we will kill two of you and one civilian! Anyone who has a different opinion?!"

No one said something, afraid of what the troopers would do if they fought back.

TB-1982 glanced at the trembling captives in front of him and waved his hand dismissively.

"Put them in groups and wait for transport. Make sure to remind them of our threat."

….

 **Harvest**

 **Forest outskirts**

 **Grizzly tank commanded by lieutenant Cosby**

"Let me get this straight, we had three Mammoths. One got destroyed in the defense of shadow base, the second got blown up by orbital bombardment and the last one that might have been able to deal with those giant walkers was taken by those spooks?" Cosby said exasperated.

Stanfield who sat on the tank and watched as their column of survivors drove towards the ONI base merely shrugged.

"Didn't get much of a choice Cosby. Orders from higher ups are difficult to ignore."

Cosby still didn't get it and was quite eager to vocally express his displeasure.

"Well it's bullshit. If we had all three of them at the base we could have stopped the larger walkers before they tore our defensive lines apart. Those mini MACs might have stopped their advance giving us more time. Instead ONI decides their base is more important but we don't even know what is so important in the first place." Cosby ranted but kept his voice low so he didn't demoralize the rest of the convoy.

Stanfield pulled out her canteen and drank a bit. The water was refreshing and dulled the ache in her throat. Cosby had a point, she knew that, but what is done is done. No point in whining about it.

"I know lieutenant but we have to keep our hopes up. If it is any consolation the base has a long range transmitter which should be able to alert high command of everything that has happened and we have learned. Aside from the Mammoth there are ODSTs, marines, pilots and Vipers. In addition to that there is enough space and rations to sustain ourselves for some time. All we can do is fight on hoping the navy will soon tear that fleet above our heads apart." Stanfield told the tank commander with sympathy.

Cosby visibly calmed down as he sighed in resignation.

"You're right," He agreed, "we have to hold on. Those imps will find us eventually and we'll need to be ready."

Stanfield gave a small smile and nodded. "That's the spirit."

Cosby sighed and looked at the passing trees in silence. The forest was rather peaceful, a big contrast to what was actually going on. At least this part of the planet escaped destruction. The lieutenant sat back and decided to get some rest. It had been a long day and any rest was welcome. Before his eyes closed he looked one more time at the bright blue sky with not a single starship in sight.

"Cosby wake the hell up!"

His eyes sprang open at the loud command. He quickly got up seeing Stanfield yelling orders at the marines around them. In front of the convoy was the ONI base. Like any secret intelligence base would do it was a building etched in the side of one of the mountains. The complex probably went on for quite some distance. Its entrance was surrounded by a wall and military checkpoints along with a few defense towers ranging from actual soldiers to turrets.

But those defenses were being used as imperial forces surrounded the complex.

"Lieutenant I want you to take out those walkers now!" Stanfield ordered looking at him while bringing out her assault rifle.

"Yes ma'am!" He responded and climbed back into the Grizzly tank.

"Finally awake boss?" Iglesias quipped with a grin once their commander sat down in his seat.

"Laugh it up you bloody Mexican. Rickson is the gun ready?"

The gunner gave a short laugh and nodded. "Of course sir. Just give me a target."

Cosby grabbed the display showing the imperial attackers. He spotted a few troopers but set his sights on a familiar target.

"Target those tanks. Tagging them now." He said focusing on the tanks and their weak spots according to their own tank's computer.

"Roger that." Rickson replied turning the gun around.

"Fire!" Cosby commanded.

"Away!" Came the gunner's reply.

The shell soared at high speeds towards the intended target. The 2-M hover tank stood no chance with the powerful ammunition hitting its back. It penetrated the armor and ignited inside the tank. Without delay the tank erupted in flames. The fire spread itself engulfing every trooper close to it. Some perished immediately while others hopelessly tried to save themselves.

"Chicken walker on our left. Iglesias get us in a better position. Rickson put it down." Cosby said as the smoldering wreckage no longer warranted their attention.

The heavy tank drove to the left over a small stream. They were careful not to accidentally move over a friendly soldier. As they moved forward the MG swiveled around tearing storm troopers apart as if their armor was made out of tissue paper.

The AT-ST saw the threat and moved in to intercept. As if knowing what kind of danger the tank possessed two more walkers joined up. All three of them opened up on the Grizzly as they spat laser bolts at the advancing UNSC monster.

"Away!" Rickson called out as the large cannon once more thundered.

The leading AT-ST was blown apart. Its chassis completely reduced to scrap. The force was so strong the legs even fell backwards with much force.

The two other walkers coordinated their attack and moved away from each other. Their main bodies turning to the side so they could still open fire.

"It's getting hot in here driver, time to pull a maneuver they won't see coming." Cosby said as a single drop of sweat made its way down his neck.

"Yes sir."

The tank stopped and turned backwards to the left. Its entire body moved with it and soon the turret was aimed at one of the AT-STs. The shell ripped apart the walker's legs making it fall right in the dirt. The drivers of the walker were probably knocked out by the impact.

With another one crippled the Grizzly kept on driving backwards. With a feral grin Iglesias actually rammed the last AT-ST. The imperial vehicle stumbled backwards before toppling over. With the walker rendered immobile the turret took it down with ease. Nothing but smoldering wreckage was left of the destroyed walker.

"Lieutenant Cosby, this is captain Stanfield. The enemy has set up their own versions of MGs. I need you to deal with them immediately." Their commanding officer said over the comms.

"Affirmative captain. Moving out at once." Cosby ordered and pulled up the MGs' positions.

"This is going to fun." Iglesias chuckled as he drove forward past the blown up walkers.

Gunshots and explosions sounded throughout the field as the tank got closer and closer to the empire's position. A stray laser bolt would hit the sturdy armor of the Grizzly but it shrugged off the hits. It didn't take long before they reached their destination. Multiple heavy blaster bolts were pounding marine cover reducing it to trouble or disintegrated matter.

One of the E-web gunners widened his eyes considerably when the tank on steroids came out of the forest. With one powerful blast he was thrown in the air in pieces along with the gun and other troopers. The energy pack of the E-web ignited as well throwing dirt and soil all around the imperial line.

Two troopers carrying rocket launchers ran forward and crouched to take aim. Before any could hit the tank the first trooper got his chest punctured by multiple assault rifle bullets. The SAW rounds that peppered the second trooper's entire upper torso threw the imperial soldier off-balance enough for the rocket to miss.

Multiple marines roared war cries that inspired others to fight on. As the Grizzly broke the imperial lines they charged forward engaging the troopers in close combat. Combat knives and makeshift bayonets pierced the plastoid armor of unlucky troopers. To say that the imperials didn't fight back was wrong. Blaster rifles were used as clubs or fired at targets only two meters away. Some soldiers wrestled in the loose soil punching or kicking their enemies.

It became bloody very fast as the soldiers resorted to beat the life out of each other. One of the troopers even pulled out a thermal detonator which claimed the life of both himself and UNSC marines in a kamikaze style. Two Warthogs followed by ODSTs gave the edge the UNSC needed. Their onslaught took many storm troopers' lives.

One of the imperials wearing nothing but an olive uniform and cap blanched at the onslaught. Without delay he pulled out his comm which was shaped as a cylinder. He spoke a few words in it with a shaky voice. Within mere seconds the imperials fell back fleeing as fast as they could.

"Cosby, I want you and your monster of a tank at the gates. The marines will clear the area." Stanfield told the smiling tank commander who watched the marines cheer.

"Roger that ma'am. We're on our way." He answered as the tank already started moving back to the ONI facility.

"That was fun. Do you think we'll get another shot at ramming imps?" Rickson laughed.

"If they keep on sending those chickens." Iglesias quipped as well.

Stanfield crossed her arms as Cosby finally joined her at the gates. The taller fellow soldier gave a respectful nod which she returned. She then gestured him inside past the two ONI guards who stood there with SMGs.

"So what do the spooks want with us?" Cosby questioned while they walked through the hallways.

"They told me this place is an intelligence facility. It contains many datafiles and every piece of intel gathered on the empire. They also have sensors and a communication transmitter powerful enough to contact HIGHCOM. The upload has been underway for quite some time but somehow the empire found out and sent that detachment to capture the base."

"You're awfully well informed." Cosby remarked as they stopped at what seemed to be a command center.

Stanfield looked at him with a guilty expression, "I was informed during the battle that the upload was in process but I knew since the start of the invasion. Nevertheless in order to break through the empire's jamming we need time."

"And time is what you gave us."

Both of them looked at the door which was opened during their conversation. A man with greying hair and glasses stood there with a datapad in his hands.

"Who are you?" Cosby asked bluntly.

"I am professor Opel. I work for ONI at this facility to monitor space anomalies around Harvest. It was placed here in case of alien movement at our borders. We have been gathering any scrap of information available and are almost ready with the upload." The man introduced and explained.

As they walked inside Cosby couldn't help but remark, "If you monitored everything then you know we need to escape. These imperials will keep on throwing troops at us until we're dead or captured. I recommend evacuating the base. We'll organize a resistance and hold out until help arrives."

"And where will we go to lieutenant? Who will help us? When will the UNSC arrive to liberate the planet?" Opel reported harshly, "Harvest has fallen. As I said we monitor everything including nearby UEG worlds. They are under siege as well. At the moment our rescuers are fleeing from an even larger imperial fleet. No we won't evacuate. We'll make our last stand here."

Cosby looked crestfallen but after calming down he reluctantly nodded.

"Fine what do you need us to do?" He asked as Opel and Stanfield took their positions at a command terminal.

"Buy us more time. Preferable an hour. This facility has data on more than just the empire which means the transfer is quite large. Not to mention we still have to purge a lot of data stored in here." Opel said typing away at the console.

Stanfield agreed, "The marines we have brought will reinforce the weakened defenses. The Mammoth has been destroyed but with your tank we'll hold the line.

"Hoorah!" Cosby growled and left to organize a defense.

It was the last one he would ever do.

…

 **Coruscant**

 **Imperial palace**

 **Emperor's throne room**

Darth Sidious grinned savagely as the dark side purred around him. Like a warm blanket it surrounded him showing its pleasure with the death he brought. His conquest of the UEG worlds was well underway with Harvest as his staging area. While he sat on his comfortable throne multiple colonies were struck by the imperial war machine. His fleets and ground forces were fighting for his glory and Sidious reveled in it.

"You summoned me my liege?"

Darth Sidious looked down to the right side of his throne to see one of his servants kneeling.

The man was wearing the same uniform of a royal guard yet with some very distinct differences. For instance the clothing and armor was as black as the night. The visor of the royal guard's helmet was tinted red as well. In one hand he also held his lightsaber pike and beneath the black robe rested a heavy blaster pistol of the highest quality possible. Not only that but the guard was force sensitive and trained by Darth Vader just like the imperial inquisitors.

Yes, Palpatine was quite fond of his shadow guards.

"Of course I did. I have a mission for you. With our new war being fought in this 'Milky Way' I want the enemy to become…accustomed to the dark side. We must spread its influence like the sith of the old sith empire." Sidious said softly as if speaking to a child.

He casted a glance to the mute guard who remained on the ground obediently.

"But of course lord Vader has to be kept in check. We wouldn't want him to plot behind my back now would we. I am assigning you to admiral Monatt's fleet. You are under his jurisdiction and will follow his orders but remember that your true purpose is to keep an eye on my apprentice. Normally I would send a Hand but they are currently busy with other assignments." Sidious continued with his voice hardening.

It was true that Mara Jade could do the job better than his shadow guard but alas she was hunting rebels now that Vader was unavailable. He had other spies yet sending his shadow guard operative would have other advantages. During the first days of the war the empire needed to be presented by powerful soldiers. His own personal guards included.

"Do you understand your assignment?" He asked sternly while glaring at the guard.

"Yes my liege." The guard replied instantly.

Sidious nodded with satisfaction and gestured for the guard to leave.

Without another word the shadow guard disappeared again in the shadows of the dark throne room.

As soon as the shadow guard left the royal palace and entered a shuttle to take him to a ship in orbit he pulled out his personal encrypted commlink. After waiting for a half a minute the holographic image of Darth Vader appeared.

"Report." Vader rumbled with his thumbs tucked into his belt.

"My lord, the emperor has assigned me to admiral Monatt to aid him in his battles. This is merely a disguise to my true objective which is to spy on you." The guard loyally reported with a deep bow.

Vader hummed in thought, a sound that made its way through his vocoder, before slowly nodding.

"I assumed he would do that sooner or later. You were wise to tell me this operative Z. Do as the emperor commands and give him false information with enough truth in it." Vader commanded while crossing his arms.

"Yes my lord. I have also retrieved the intel you wished for. It seems the emperor's Hand is closing in on Skywalker. Rebel cells are being pushed back by the emperor's elite forces." The shadow guard said making Vader snarl behind his mask.

"I see. Nevertheless do as I command. I have other agents dealing with the rebel pilot." Vader answered and cut the transmission.

The shadow guard who was loyal to Vader only rose and left for the cockpit. Upon entry the pilots gave a nod and continued flying towards the imperial ships in orbit.

He would bring reinforcements to Monatt in the form of twenty Victories, twenty Venators, thirty Acclamators, fifteen Raider-class corvettes, ten Interdictors, thirty Tartan-class patrol cruisers and finally ten Imperial-class star destroyers.

All to invade the UEG in name of the empire.


	6. Chapter 6

**Did I shamelessly make a chapter in which half of it is dedicated to Darth Vader kicking ass to the point you would think he's overpowered? Yes. Will you hate me for it? Probably. Does it matter to me? No. Because in the next chapter Chief will take the stage with his own overpowered ass kicking. These two are powerhouses in each of their respective universe.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Two weeks after the imperial invasion of Harvest**_

 **Procyon system**

 **Orbit around the moon Gihon**

 **Autumn-class heavy cruiser UNSC** _ **Verdun**_

"Helm, bring us forty degrees to the right! Weapons, fire all archer missiles and nukes we have left at those capital ships!" Captain Sullivan ordered as heavy laser bolts impacted against the heavy cruiser's shielded hull.

One of the ensigns looked up from his terminal reporting, "Captain there are two Victories headed our way."

"Have our Halberd escorts fend them off and send Shortsword bombers to cripple those ships." The captain answered not looking away from the battle in front of him.

The heavy cruiser's missile pods simultaneously opened up allowing dozens of archer missiles to be launched. The Imperial-class star destroyer that just tore a Paris frigate in two suddenly had to deal with the weapons coming straight for them. Multiple turbolaser batteries swiveled around firing at the missiles. Yet it was hardly effective, seeing that the large star destroyer lacked substantial point-defense weaponry. Many of the archer missiles scored as they hit the large armored hull of the capital ship. Chunks of metal were blown away and multiple decks got exposed. The shield generators had given out and without its defenses the star destroyer helplessly took a direct hit from a Paris-class heavy frigate. The MAC ripped the left side apart causing multiple explosions effectively crippling the star destroyer.

Sullivan felt a tine of satisfaction as the crippled star destroyer floated away without any power left.

"Hostiles incoming!" Another ensign reported.

The two Victories got closer and closer with their turbolasers already opening fire. Without delay the two Halberds that had been acting as an escort for the _Verdun_ turned sharply to the right facing the Victories. Once in position their MACs unleashed destruction on the imperial starships. While one Victory had its shields drained to fifteen percent the other only lost half of its shields due to a starboard glance. As a retaliation the Victories fired a barrage using their ion batteries. Now it were the Halberds that lost shield capacity.

"Shortswords on route sir but we're detecting hostile aircraft as well." A bridge crew member said as multiple dots appeared on the sensors.

Two wings of Shortsword bombers soared past the damaged Halberds escorted by some F-41 Broadswords in the direction of the imperials. They replied by sending out multiple TIE fighters and interceptors. The Broadswords took point launching air-to-air missiles at the front TIEs. Only a quarter shook off the missiles taking down a good portion of TIEs. The remaining TIE fighters responded in kind with proton torpedoes. The left side of the UNSC fighters were completely annihilated allowing the interceptors to flank that way. By the time the Broadswords made it to their targets a whole wing was shot down. Though the payload crippled four broadside double heavy turbolasers on one of the Victories.

As the Halberds kept on firing the imperials launched their concussion missiles all aimed at one Halberd destroyer. With parts of the destroyer missing the ability to eliminate such threats was reduced. More than half scored hits, some only damaging the hull, others blowing holes in the ship and a small amount hit vital positions. One of the engines began to sputter and shake. Inside the ship the engineering department hurried to get away as the machinery caught fire and finally exploded. The Halberd lost all engine power along with other vital systems.

With its fellow warship effectively put out of commission the other destroyer fired the MAC again. The Victories were helpless as their weakened shields did little to stop the giant slug. One of the destroyers shattered apart with debris flying everywhere hitting a TIE or two. Just before it got blown up the Victory had fired one more volley of turbolaser fire. The crippled Halberd stood no chance against the killing blow.

Before the remaining Victory and Halberd could face off against each other a Paris frigate appeared from below the star destroyer and dealt the finishing blow. With the last assailant eliminated the Halberd resumed its post at the _Verdun_ 's side joined by the heavy frigate. Even as it was a minor victory the bridge onboard the heavy cruiser paid little attention as there were still other imperial ships close to the moon.

"Status report on our battlegroup." Captain Sullivan demanded as the escorts joined up again.

"We lost our last Halcyon in the battle captain. I'm getting reports of hull breaches and exposed decks from all of our battleships. Our fighter wings did better but our bombers took a heavy beating." One of the crew members said while checking other messages from the other UNSC ships.

"What of the enemy?" The captain pressed on.

"We've successfully pushed back the imperial assault but they're regrouping between us and the colony. The other ships we lured away to Pishon are returning as well." An officer replied.

The damaged and scarred star destroyers indeed left the engagement in favor of linking up with allies. Most of them had breaches or other injuries delivered by the UNSC. Even their lighter vessels boosted engine power to get away.

"Alright that gives us some time. Gather all ships and bring us closer to the moon. Any status update on those reinforcements?"

The same officer from before shook her head while grabbing a datapad.

"Negative sir. It will take at least thirty more minutes before they arrive."

Sullivan scowled and took a look at the holographic position of the imperial fleet. He counted five capital ships with eight frigates and twenty corvettes. Most were partially damaged from during the skirmish but so were his own ships.

"We need to hold out so reinforcements can arrive. There isn't much else we can do in this situation." Sullivan stated irritated.

"Captain the _dark knight_ is reporting damage to their MAC. Their engineers say that they cannot fix it in time." Someone in the back of the room spoke up gaining Sullivan's attention.

With a barely audible sigh he rubbed his temples. Their MACs were their best weapons against imperial ships since anything else was less effective against a star destroyer's shields. Archer missiles were most effective when hitting unshielded warships but only scratched them when shields were up.

"Understood, order them to assume a supportive position in the back of our formation." He ordered quickly feeling a headache coming.

"Sir we have some good news and bad news" One of the tactical officers suddenly said with hope yet dread in his voice.

Sullivan rose an eyebrow in curiosity and asked, "And what would that be?"

The officer showed the imperial battlegroup that seemed to split up. Two of their larger capital ships and two frigates with four corvettes broke off while the main group stayed in position. Sullivan's eyes widened in surprise at the move.

"That is some good news alright. But what is the bad news?" He inquired shifting his gaze to the officer who seemed uncomfortable.

"They're headed for Arcadia."

Sullivan felt a pit form in his stomach upon hearing that sentence. There had been reports of successful retaliation against imperial ground forces so orbital support would shift the tide in favor of the empire. Defeating the hostile fleet with what he had left suddenly became more important than holding out.

"Rally our ships and set course to attack the enemy! We need to deal with them before they squash any advantage our ground forces might have." He commanded.

The bridge crew sprang into action as they relayed orders while activating weapons and engines.

Within a minute the battered up UNSC defensive battlegroup accelerated towards the imperials to engage them once more.

* * *

 **Arcadia**

 **Island resort Gourami**

 **Illum apartments**

"Enemy infantry coming in from the south!"

Corporal Deans adjusted his aim to take a look at the storm troopers pouring in from one of the garden paths. He was lying on one of the apartment roofs with his trustworthy sniper rifle and his spotter, private Miller, at his side.

"One of them has a white pauldron, probably an officer, and he's in the back on the right." Miller said taking a look as well with his binoculars.

"Got him in my sights." Deans confirmed once he saw the trooper.

As soon as the storm trooper sergeant got to a halt to give orders he was thrown back violently with a hole in his helmet. Bits of bone and brain were splattered on the ground and the trooper behind him coating the white armor red. The lifeless body fell on the tiled ground with arms spread out.

"Scoped and dropped." Miller joked seeing the kill.

"Requesting sniper support at the pool. Multiple tangos about to overrun us." Someone called over the comms.

"Roger that." Miller replied looking over the targets.

Deans fired again hitting a storm trooper in the chest. The bullet broke the ribcage, pierced a lung and went straight through the back. The trooper jerked back before falling on the tiles. Another trooper wielding a heavy blaster died the same way shortly after. The tiles around the pool were now either dirty or colored in blood.

"We got one with a rocket launcher a few meters to the right." Millers said helpfully.

"I see him." Deans replied scoring a headshot.

"All units be advised, we have a scout walker inbound." One of their lookouts warned.

Within the minute the familiar sight of an AT-ST appeared as the imperial walker marched forward. A few marines had to scramble when the AT-ST opened fire on them with its blaster. The terrace they had been on bursted in stone fragments as the energized gas all but destroyed it. One of the marines didn't get out soon enough and got flung away.

"Where is our heavy ordinance?" A marine demanded over the comms as the walker provided covering fire for the troopers.

"We're pinned down!" The soldiers with the rocket launchers responded.

Their position was being hammered by laser fire from a dozen storm troopers.

"Understood. Providing sniper support." Deans said as he shifted his aim to the assailants.

A trooper jerked for a moment before slowly slumping to ground, a hole in his chest, blood flowing like a river. The other troopers dove for cover but one more got shot before he could hide. Another soldier popped out of cover but got hit in the shoulder. The marines that had been pinned down took their chance and returned fire.

With less danger of being shot at, the marines carrying the rocket launchers got up and moved out. A scout trooper sniped one of them before they could reach their target. After a few seconds Miller found the sniper and passed his location on to Deans who made short work of him. The two remaining heavies got in firing range and aimed at the AT-ST. Two rockets were set loose as they soared towards their target. The walker exploded brightly as they made contact raining debris over the nearby storm troopers.

"Any idea when the imps realize this isn't going to work?" Miller asked after a few more minutes of fighting.

"Fat chance. These imperials are either efficient or dumb. It's as if some of their officers don't know how to deal with a warzone." Deans replied reloading his sniper rifle.

"Incoming dropships!" Someone yelled in alarm as numerous aircraft appeared above them.

The IDTs came in fast firing missiles at the marine positions. Defenders were blown away or blasted by the dropships' guns. The transports that acted as gunships undid all the work of the marines in less than one minute. After the initial attack ended only a few remnants of the marine squads remained.

"Shit! They're deploying troopers!" Miller hissed as an IDT hovered above a roof and unloaded storm troopers along with three scout troopers.

"We need to move." Deans said as he got up with his rifle in his hands.

"Let's get back to our second line of defense. They'll march right into the recreational area now." Miller agreed and pulled out his assault rifle.

The two marines dashed down the stairs in a hurry as two IDTs flew past the building they were in. They reached the ground floor but found four storm troopers in the lobby. The imperials opened fire on them forcing the two marines to get behind the reception counter.

Miller returned fire at the troopers downing one before being forced to take cover again.

"Well if this isn't just great." He grumbled still feeling the heat from a laser bolt that came too close to his liking.

Deans pulled out his pistol and fired from the side of the counter.

The bullet hit another trooper in the knee and then another one in the chest.

"Just keep on firing." The sniper retorted with a small smirk.

Miller sighed exasperated and popped out of cover again taking down the remaining troopers.

"That's it. Let's move on now we can. It would probably better if we took the backdoor." Miller said reloading his weapon.

Together they ran through the backdoor noticing three imperial hover tanks in the distance. The tanks were firing away at a store taking huge chunks of stone out of it. With each blast another part crumbled and soon only the walls remained as the roof collapsed on whoever was in there. With the building demolished the hover tanks moved on with troopers in tow.

"Friendlies up ahead." Miller said as he saw a marine squad exchanging fire with storm troopers.

Deans crouched behind a bench and readied his sniper rifle. He pulled the trigger again and again. Troopers died quicker with the sniper support and it showed as the initial confusion was exploited by the marines. Seeing the battle as futile the troopers broke off and retreated towards their own allies.

Deans and Miller jogged up to the marine squad as they cleared the area. Many of them had various wounds from minor to large burns. The CO got killed by the attackers so they had to find the person who was now in command of the squad.

"Are you in charge here?" Miller asked a marine in this twenties.

"Yes sir." The soldier responded tiredly.

"Look we need to fall back to the second line. It won't be long before those tanks arrive. Did you see any other survivors coming from the Illum apartments?" Miller told the young marine.

"A few sir. We covered them as they transported their wounded out of here."

Deans walked up to them with a concerned frown. "We need to leave now. I saw transports offloading walkers. They officially have the beach and the apartments."

Miller nodded in agreement and understanding. "Alright let's move out!" He ordered for all of the marines to hear.

They marched for minutes sometimes having to engage imperials to rescue other marine survivors. Imperial forces were testing them while their main force gathered, that much was clear. Deans looked up one time seeing TIE fighters battling it out with their own aircraft. Neither side seemed to gain the advantage in the air at the moment.

Just as they almost reached the barricades where their second line of defense was stationed a laser hit one of their marines right in the back of his head. With his brain most likely fried the marine died instantly.

"Sniper!" Someone called out.

They all scrambled for cover finding it in time. Deans cursed and readied his sniper rifle. They had twenty marines to get to safety but that was next to impossible with a sniper waiting for one of them to stand up.

"Miller can you find this bastard?" He asked his friend at his side.

Miller adjusted his helmet a bit before replying, "That's going to be difficult."

A voice sounded over their comms, "This is captain Moto to the surviving marines. What is your situation? One moment you were almost here and the next one of your guys collapsed."

"Hostile sniper sir." Answered Deans. "We're pinned down and don't know where the guy is."

"Shit, hold out for a minute. We'll try spotting him." The captain ordered.

"This day is getting better and better." Grumbled Miller with a scowl.

After a few tense minutes Moto talked to them again. "We think the sniper is located on a balcony on the second closest building to your position on the other side. Seventh floor and fourth room to the right. I have one of my own guys sniping him at the moment. Once I give the all clear signal you run as fast as you can."

"Understood sir." Miller answered and passed on the order to the other marines.

The most antagonizing and slowest seconds passed as they waited. No one said a single word. Everything was silent except for the sounds of battle in the distance and the skies. Miller subconsciously checked his assault rifle again while Deans counted his ammo. The anxiety of the marines oozed out of them like a wound.

A loud crack noise filled the battlefield.

"Go! Go!" Moto ordered bringing the comm to life.

They all got up and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They didn't stop for anything while sprinting as if their lives depended on it which they actually did. As they got halfway another bolt hit a marine in the back burning through the armor and his flesh.

One man down.

They ran faster, more desperately. Another bolt came hitting a marine in the leg. She cried out and fell. Before someone could help her another shot rang out in the distance.

Another marine down.

Deans felt a drop of sweat pouring down his face. He paid no attention as he ran close to cover. He could faintly hear another blaster bolt hit a target. Judging the scattering sound of a battle rifle he knew what happened.

They lost another one.

The barricade was almost in view. Marines behind them were calling out to them. He saw safety, a place to rest. He redoubled his efforts and dragged the closest marine with him.

Then it went wrong.

One of the lookouts' face morphed into horror and fear. "Gunships!"

From above one of the buildings three IDTs appeared. They came in fast with laser cannons blasting away. Green laser bolts hit the pavement killing a few marines that had survived the snipers. Deans couldn't go faster but could only hope.

The gun emplacements at their defensive line opened up trying to scare the IDTs away. One evaded and broke off. The others each fired a missile before doing the same.

The projectiles tore the ground apart throwing dirt all sides. Any marine that had been close was killed in the blast. Others had wounds but kept on going even if it meant crawling. Marines ran over the barricades to help up their comrades.

Deans made it. He fell on all fours panting hard. After calming down he looked at the other survivors and felt his throat constrict.

Five of them had made it excluding him.

The rest were spread out over the road either full with blaster marks or torn limbs.

And he noticed it at that moment, Miller didn't made it.

Did he die to the snipers? Was it the gunships? It didn't matter.

His friend was gone. Leaning against a barricade Deans silently prayed for his fallen comrade. A man he went through boot camp with.

He was gone.

* * *

 **Arcadia**

 **New Luanda outskirts**

 **Fort Tiger**

Four hours. For four long hours the empire tried to capture fort Tiger. They threw troops at them as much as they could. Infantry, armor and even starfighters. Yet every single time they got routed by the UNSC marines and ODSTs stationed at the fort. The imperial officers were close to having a mental breakdown as their troops continuously failed to win.

At the fort brigadier general Monroe calmly observed the situation. The fort was designed as a regular polygon with two walls covered by the river. At each conjunction of walls there was a small tower with gun emplacements capable of even damaging the powerful AT-AT. Not enough to bring the beast down but effective enough. He had AA guns in the fort itself that cleared the skies of any intruder. Aside from the fort's defenses there were enough marines and ODSTs along with armored support to fend off invaders.

"Three imperial tanks are hammering our marines at wall three on the left side." An officer reported to Monroe who observed the position on the tactical map.

"Fire the artillery at their position. Order the marines to tag them." He ordered moving on to another problem without missing a beat. "Have our fighters dealt with those TIEs?"

"Yes sir. Lightening squadron is on standby."

Monroe brought up an imperial occupied position to get a target. The map displayed artillery cannons and walkers protecting them. There were five SPMA walkers firing heavy artillery laser bolts at the fort.

"Give them the coordinates of the imperials' artillery." Monroe told one of the comm operators.

Above the battlefield a total of twelve Broadsword fighters flew at high speeds towards their targets. The imperials noticed them since laser fire filled the sky when the fighters came close. The pilots had to utilize all of their expertise to dodge the incoming fire. One of them got hit and lost control, spiraling right into a hover tank. The UNSC fighters returned fire with machine guns and rockets. Their attack decimated the SPMA walkers tearing them apart and the walkers or troopers around it. The Broadswords broke off their attack as TIE fighters came after them.

"That takes care of that problem. Status update on those tanks?" Monroe asked after the airstrike.

"Taken care of sir. The imperials have fallen back as well." An officer replied with a grin.

"Get me a list of casualties, remaining weapons and everything else. We need to prepare for another attack." The brigadier general ordered allowing himself to relax a bit.

Soon darkness swept over the land as the night began. Yet there was little rest as both sides licked their wounds or stayed on guard.

Meanwhile at the imperial camp dozens of wounded were being tended to. Many had lost limbs and blood was splattered all over the soldiers. Medics tended to the injured troopers as fast as they could. Engineers were busy repairing damaged vehicles or doing maintenance.

In a single tent multiple imperial officers that got their rank through status were doing what they could best.

Blaming each other.

"If you had provided me those walkers I would have broken through!" An officer yelled at another.

"Don't make me laugh. Your plan was simplistic and inefficient. I will not sacrifice my men for your petty ambitions." The accused responded with a snarl.

"Where was that air support? If you hadn't wasted them on those guns we might have gained the upper hand."

"How dare you!"

And so it went on. The only levelheaded officer was a young man who had actually worked for his rank. His voice was drowned out by the obnoxious ones of the others. Therefore he remained silent to review their current predicament. As the others kept on shouting he shook his head and made his way to the exit.

Just as he was about to leave a tall dark form entered the tent. He made way and saluted immediately while the officers remained oblivious. The man casted a glance towards him but focused his attention on the bickering mess.

"Enough!" Vader boomed loud enough to silence the officers. "Your bickering is pointless. You are all to blame for this failure. Each and every one of you is hereby relieved of duty."

As soon as he had said those words the officers clawed at their throats. The young officer who stood at the side gaped at the sight in front of him. Within seconds the imperial incompetent officers died with their necks broken.

"You, step forward." Vader commanded.

Nervously the officer stepped forward. Vader's cold gaze swept over him making him feel small and insignificant.

"Yes, my lord?"

"What is your name?" Vader demanded.

"Lieutenant Hexan my lord." The lieutenant replied.

"You almost succeeded in breaching the fort. Why did you fail?" Vader questioned. Hexan winced as he heard the second sentence.

"I had my troopers advance forward while being shielded by artillery fire. Unfortunately commander Lupus found it unnecessary and took my support away. My troops almost got there but were eliminated when those marines no longer had to find shelter." Hexan answered truthfully awaiting his demise.

To his surprise no punishment came. "It appears that the late commander was responsible. You have proven to be capable so far. You will direct the next battle while I go to the front. Fail me, and you will meet the same fate as he did." Vader said in his bass tone.

As Vader spoke with the lieutenant multiple storm troopers removed the corpses. Vader activated the holotable showing the fort's defenses.

"I shall lead a unit of shadow troopers through this part of the land so I can reach the western wall. Once I commence my surprise attack I will give you the signal to attack that part as well with the Juggernaut tanks. They will carry troops while our artillery, under the protection of AT-AAs, besieges the other walls and fortifications. After eliminating all resistance outside the walls of the fort we shall break through and slaughter them inside. The first targets will be the cannons and anti-air guns, then the enemy officers. When the enemy guns are down our dropships will swoop in to deliver reinforcements. Understood, _commander_?" Vader explained shortly.

Hexan blinked at the sudden promotion but nodded in confirmation. "It shall be done my lord. I will utilize the few deflector shields we have as well. The upgrades that stop solid objects should protect our troops from their slugthrowers."

"Very well. Prepare to attack within one hour." Vader ordered and left the tent.

Outside he walked past the additional troops he had arrived with and joined up with the shadow troopers. Their distinctive black armor was scarred and dirty, signs of a recent battle. Vader said nothing but marched onward. The stealth forces fell in line behind him as they made their way towards the ravaged field around the fort.

The troopers activated their cloaking devices rendering them invisible to the naked eye. Vader used his powers to surround him with a force cloak making him now invisible as well although it was nothing more but an illusion. It was a force power that drained much of his energy so he had to make their trip quick. Even though the situation called for stealth he preferred making an appearance. Hiding in the shadows was not his style when it came to combat.

The dark lord and his minions passed the smoldering wreckages of imperial hover tanks. They were getting closer by the minute allowing him to sense his opponents. There weren't many soldiers outside the fort, only enough to fill the defensive positions and machine gun nests. A few lookouts but many of them were resting, excellent.

Vader walked over the corpse of a storm trooper and gave the signal for his men to spread out. Of the fifteen shadow troopers he had, six went to the left and six to the right while the remaining three went with him. Each group would quietly assassinate hostiles while placing charges on the gun emplacements.

As he expanded his senses he felt four individuals behind a wall of sandbags and a machine gun. Two of them were extremely calm indicating they were asleep. The other two were up and about probably chatting with each other. He gave a quick command to the troopers to eliminate them.

Two of the shadow troopers sneaked behind the unsuspecting marines silently. They simultaneously cut the soldiers' throats with their vibroblades. The marines fell silent as they died quickly. The other trooper made short work of the last marines.

Vader nodded approvingly of their work before marching on as a charge was placed on the MG. Not much further ahead was a gauss cannon where a whole squad of marines kept watch.

"Find targets and place your charges. I will create a diversion." Vader ordered readying his saber.

"Yes my lord." They all replied before leaving him alone as they sneaked through the UNSC lines.

The closest marine who was standing guard raised his eyebrow at the tall shadowy form that approached. He found the figure to be somewhat strange and stepped forward with an inquisitive look.

"Hey identify yourself!" He called out the approaching man.

When he received no response he raised his weapon ready to shoot. Yet just as he wanted to give a last warning he felt an invisible force slam into him hurling the poor marine through the air. He crashed hard against the gauss cannon breaking his neck in the process.

The other marines scrambled their weapons and aimed at the assailant. Once the unknown hostile stepped out of the shadows a pit formed in each of their stomachs.

Vader's cold mask glared at them as the moonlight reflected over the sleek dark material. With a hiss his lightsaber came to life as the sith lord advanced.

"Open fire!" The sergeant yelled as he fired with his own assault rifle at Vader.

The bullets harmlessly bounced off the protective bubble Vader formed around him. Suddenly he threw his saber letting it fly at the marines. They reacted too late and three of the marines were cut open by the deadly weapon. The lightsaber simply returned back to Vader who kept on going forward.

Two marines in front of him shot at him with a DMR and a magnum pistol but Vader used the force to protect himself. He grabbed their weapons with the force and tore them away from their hands. The shocked and horrified soldiers were quickly disposed by Vader in close combat. The dark lord passed by the corpses he just cut down and force choked a marine that tried throwing a grenade at him.

"Grenade!" The soldiers close by yelled in warning as the primed grenade fell out of the choked marine's hands.

The explosive went off killing two more marines. By now other soldiers appeared to reinforce their comrades against the sith lord.

"It does not matter how many of you come at me." Vader rumbled using enhanced agility to jump the distance between him and a marine. He stabbed his saber in the man's chest causing agonizing pain for the UNSC serviceman. "You will all perish."

"Take this you freak!" Someone from behind yelled.

Vader felt the shotgun shells hit his protective force shield and felt it grow weaker. As the woman fired again he stretched out his hand and deflected it right back at her ripping her chest apart. The corporal staggered back due to the impact but died quickly with her grave wound.

"Command this is Kilo squad, we are under attack! We have confirmed visual on Darth Vader. I repeat, we are under attack by Darth Vader!" A marine reported through the comms as they kept on firing on the sith lord that evaded their attacks.

Vader lifted a piece of concrete and used it as a shield against the endless barrage of bullets from the UNSC defenders. While he was protected he threw his saber once more and decapitated three marines before the weapon was guided back to his gloved mechanical hand. With a powerful force push he hurled the concrete at his opponents crushing a few to death.

It was then that he noticed three Warthogs driving towards him with their machine gun turrets firing away at his position. Even Vader rather dodged those heavy calibers and opted to take them down from a long range. Using the dark side he reached out to one of the gunners' mind and took control using force dominate. The gunner numbly aimed his turret at one of the Warthogs at his side before opening up on it. The heavy caliber rounds eviscerated both gunner and driver leaving the Warthog to go out of control and crashing into the wall. With a last feat of strength he sent a massive force wave to smash into the two remaining ones eliminating the threat.

"It is useless to resist any longer. Submit or be destroyed." Vader rumbled loudly over the battlefield as he resumed his stance.

The marines uncertainly shuffled around with their weapons aimed at him. Slowly they formed a circle around him hoping to overwhelm him from all sides. A tactic that the sith lord found amusing and pointless.

"We have you surrounded. Lay down your weapon and allow yourself to be restrained." A marine demanded as a few soldiers aimed rocket launchers at him.

Within moments more reinforcements would arrive. He had done enough damage to commence phase two of his plan.

"Very well." He answered as he deactivated his lightsaber.

He let his arm drop but as he did so it brushed against one of the buttons on his belt. The relief that washed over the many soldiers around him amused him to no ends.

Suddenly explosions could be heard as heavy artillery pounded the other wall's defenses. The SPMA walkers barraged the heavy fortifications distracting the UNSC forces. It was then when five Juggernaut tanks drove forward in a charge towards the sith lord's position. Multiple troop transports and walkers followed suit as the imperials began their second attack.

"Man those guns!" Came the general order from the UNSC officers.

Vader then pushed another button knowing his shadow troopers had done their task, and if they hadn't it did not matter. The thermal detonators placed at heavy weapons were instantly triggered resulting in numerous explosions around defenders. Many gunners at their weapons were completely blown apart while others were injured by debris and the powerful blasts. It did not stop there though. The few bunkers that the UNSC had were decimated by special 7-PrG proton grenades that unleashed powerful destruction.

With the utter demolition of more than half of their defensive positions and heavy weapons the marines were thrown in disarray. This presented the perfect opportunity for Vader to attack once more.

Before they were even aware of it Vader had already cut down two marines with his lightsaber in one swift slash. A marine fired his rocket launcher at him but Vader simply redirected the rocket towards other enemies as if it was mere child's play.

As he slaughtered more of his foes the Juggernauts came in range to fire their own rockets. Dozens of them hit the wall followed by heavy laser blasts. With most heavy weaponry gone the UNSC defenders were helpless against the fury of the imperial tanks. Cracks appeared, chunks fell apart, and finally the wall collapsed. Any soldier unfortunate to stand close to it was buried by the debris.

"Retreat! Pull back to the wall!" An officer ordered to rally the troops.

As Vader was about to give chase, multiple troop transports arrived as backup. A total of thirty-five storm troopers piled out and began firing at the UNSC marines. A trooper with a white pauldron jogged up to Vader's side and snapped a quick salute.

"Lord Vader, commander Hexan sent us to help you if you require aid." The sergeant said as his troopers formed a semi-circle around them to protect their commanding officer.

"We will go inside and disable their anti-air guns. Follow me." Vader ordered without delay before he walked forward with his lightsaber ignited.

"All troopers forward!" The sergeant ordered yelling at the storm troopers.

The first thing that the marines saw as the dust cleared was a wave of storm troopers and giant tanks but at the front of it was Vader with his troopers in tow. Immediately the marines prioritized the sith lord who used the hatred and fear that spread around the battlefield to replenish his strength.

Gathering some of his renewed strength he threw a massive force push at the marines in front of him. They all scattered upon impact breaking bones and flinging bodies away. The wounded that managed to get up were put down quickly by the escort of troopers that accompanied Vader. Any fool that came too close to the dark lord was either cut down or impaled by Vader's lightsaber.

Within minutes they breached the defenses and arrived at the first AA-gun. Instead of the usual marine presence there were also ODSTs guarding the gun emplacement. All of them had their rifles aimed at the intruders.

Gunfire erupted when the first trooper came in view. Vader grabbed a Warthog wreck and held it in front of him as a shield to protect himself. A few troopers were smart enough to find cover or hide behind the sith lord but five of them were already killed off by the accurate aim of the ODSTs and marines. Two troopers each carrying a MPL-57 crouched behind cover and pointed the weapons at the hostiles in front. A barrage of grenades was unleashed upon the marines forcing them to cease fire and get away. Three marines were too late which proved to be fatal.

As bullets and laser bolts passed him Vader grew more and more annoyed by the UNSC's stubbornness and resistance. Reaching out into the force he lifted up a whole squad of marines. The soldiers helplessly flailed around while an unseen power made them levitate. The troopers took the opportunity by blasting each and every one of them. Vader proceeded to keep on doing this but halted when an ODST aimed a strange heavy weapon at his shield. The force warned him of the impending danger and jumped into the air just as the helljumper fired the railgun obliterating the wreckage and two troopers behind it.

Using the force to cushion his fall Vader gracefully landed between two marines. The startled warriors were cut down immediately by Vader before he moved on to the next target. With a snarl he slashed at an ODST but the man was fast and dodged his saber. Pulling out a combat knife before charging at him the ODST let out a battle cry. Just before the knife would make contact with his thigh the sith lord grabbed the soldier's arm with his mechanical hand and squeezed. The armor dented and the man gave out a cry of agony under the pressure dropping his combat knife. With a swift strike Vader cut the man's chest open before dropping him.

Using his enhanced instincts Vader stopped the bullets that came for him in midair as two more of the helljumpers attacked him. He threw his saber cutting off one's arm while choking the other. As soon as the lifeless corpse dropped to the ground he recalled his saber and ended the other's pain. With the three ODSTs eliminated Vader targeted a marine with a SAW who was cutting down any storm trooper foolish enough to reveal himself. Vader flung the man aside with a simple move of his wrist. The SAW gunner landed a good distance away with a broken spine.

With some of the pressure gone the troopers charged forward blasting anything in their path. Their aim was slightly off but with the already weakened marines and two remaining ODSTs they managed to cross the distance and shoot their targets. Now and then a trooper would collapse with shattered armor and blood spewing out of their wounds but so would a marine when a blaster bolt melted combat armor and burned flesh. It was when additional troopers reinforced the battered up group that the marines realized that they had to fall back.

"Bring it down." Vader ordered pointing at the large anti-air gun.

A trooper carrying a rocket launcher stepped forward before crouching and blowing up the gun.

"Jump troopers with me." Vader commanded as he used the force to jump on a nearby building.

Ten jump troopers followed using their jetpacks to fly up on the building. Using the higher ground they bypassed marines on the ground and soon came close to the second gun.

Instead of dealing with it he like the first one Vader did something different. As the jump troopers harassed the enemy forces with heavy blasters he concentrated on the weapon in front of him. Channeling his hatred to fuel him he squeezed the metal barrel until it was completely sealed. The automated gun failed to recognize this damage and locked on to another target. However once it fired the gun exploded from the inside sending shrapnel in the air.

Satisfied with the damage he caused, the dark lord of the sith activated his holocommunicator.

"Yes my lord?" Commander Hexan greeted instantly.

"Send in the dropships. It is time to crush our opponent and claim this fortress." Vader ordered. Around him multiple troopers steamrolled the overwhelmed defenders eliminating anyone in their path.

"At once my lord." Hexan replied with a small bow.

Vader deactivated the means of communication and jumped off the roof landing next to a pair of shock troopers. The two troopers recoiled as their supreme commander appeared out of nowhere. Vader's gaze turned towards them without missing a beat.

"You two, with me." He addressed them and walked away.

The two shock troopers regained their professionalism and quickly flanked the sith from behind. The three of them walked through the currently empty alleys of the large fortress with the command center as their destination. Vader intended to end the battle by cutting off the head. As they went on the familiar sounds of dropships filled the area. At least a dozen of IDTs were flying around dropping fresh troops or demolishing resistance. Vader blocked out these sounds while focusing on his task alone.

He suddenly ignited his lightsaber which caused the shock troopers to point their heavy blasters at the end of the alley. No longer than two seconds passed by before marines came around the corner. The troopers and Vader were one step ahead as they struck first.

Vader's lightsaber was already flying in the air spinning quickly. It sliced two marines apart and cut off another's arm before returning to its wielder's outstretched hand. The two troopers with red decorations unleashed a torrent of blaster bolts killing more than one marine in the enclosed area. Not expecting such a massacre the surviving marines scattered to escape their deaths. It proved to be futile as Vader grabbed them with the force suspending them only for the shock troopers to shoot them. With the last man dead they went forward passing the still smoking bodies in the process.

It didn't take long before they reached the headquarters. There were already storm troopers besieging it but the UNSC fought valiantly against the intruders. It was a stalemate with neither side giving in.

"I want dropships at the enemy headquarters now. Destroy the marines at the entrance. Leave no one alive." Vader ordered authoritatively using his commlink.

"This is Dogma-5, moving in to assist." A pilot called out as a dropship came into view.

The dropship unleashed a torrent of blaster bolts upon the marines drowning out the sounds from below. The blaster cannons dispatched any marine in the open while the laser cannons destroyed any cover available. With no cover left the marines made a hasty retreat into the building allowing the storm troopers to secure the perimeter.

Vader strode past a sergeant with his momentary guards following his every step. "Breach the building and eliminate any resistance. Leave the enemy commander to me."

"Yes milord." The sergeant replied before barking orders. "Breaching positions! Go, go!"

The troopers lined up to invade the headquarters as a few others placed explosives. Once done the troopers joined their comrades awaiting permission. With a nod and confirmation from the sergeant the detonator was activated. An explosion ripped the fortified door out of its hinges and formed a smoke cloud.

"Grenades!" A soldier called out. Four storm troopers threw their thermal detonator inside followed by two more flashbangs. Multiple blasts rang out as the explosives went off.

"Go!" The sergeant ordered loudly over the ruckus.

At once the troopers piled in blasters firing away. The disoriented marines at the reception that were left gathered their wits and returned fire. At close range the troopers hit more of their targets much to the dismay of the defenders. Yet they didn't go down easily as they shot every trooper that they could. It didn't take long for the imperials to secure the large room while spreading out.

Vader entered shortly after with his guards. He regarded the scene of dead bodies around him with a critical eye and felt a tinge of satisfaction. As he strolled towards the stairs the troopers fell in line. Vader took the lead and expanded his senses to feel where the enemy was hiding.

"Follow me." He ordered when he found his destination. Without a word the group of troopers followed.

At the end of a long corridor the last marines took their positions for a final stand. Behind them was the command center which was occupied by brigadier general Monroe. They knew it was unlikely for them to survive so with grim determination they waited.

Vader sensed their resolve and intentionally intensified his dark aura. As the seconds passed by he could feel their growing fear. Knowing they were thoroughly affected by his presence Vader prepared a force shield.

With a single command four of his troopers carrying riot shields jogged to the front and held their reinforced grey shields in front of them. They opened the doors and immediately gunfire erupted. The marines pounded the shields with assault rifles but made no progress while the troopers marched forward.

"Grenade out!" A marine yelled throwing a single frag grenade.

Vader responded by suspending the explosive in midair before throwing it back at the marine. It tore three of the marines apart splattering blood all over the walls. One of the troopers responded in kind by carefully aiming his grenade launcher. Three grenades flew over the shield wielding troopers and landed between the marines. They were ripped apart by the barrage that left scorch marks all over the interior.

With less gunfire bouncing off their shields the storm troopers in front parted slightly allowing them to retaliate with blaster pistols. They were by no means precise but did manage to hit their opponents. Vader aided by reaching out with the force and suspending marines against the ceiling. Shock and surprise filled their entire beings when they were pressed hard against the roof.

"They're faltering. This our chance! Heavies up to the front!" The storm trooper sergeant yelled over the loud noise of the gunfire.

Two troopers carrying rotary blaster cannons jogged forward and stopped right behind those in the front. They held up the blaster cannons before giving the signal. The troopers with the shields parted widely this time revealing the chaingun wielding heavy troopers. The combined firepower was devastating in the enclosed space as marines dropped like flies. It was complete annihilation for the UNSC warriors.

Vader walked right up to the door that led to the command center once the storm troopers killed the last soldier standing. He opened the door and came face to face with Monroe and his command staff. A few were armed with pistols but most carried no weapon. The brigadier general himself aimed his handgun at the dark lord.

"It is useless to fight any longer. Surrender or be destroyed." Was the ultimatum that Vader threw on the table. He ignited his lightsaber while his soldiers slowly piled in at his sides.

The brigadier general remained stoic even in the face of defeat. His eyes darted from one helmeted individual to the other but rested his gaze on Vader.

"How do I know you won't execute all of my men?" Monroe spat full wit hate.

"Only if you resist any longer. This is your final chance." Vader responded with a glare while subtly influencing the brigadier general's mind, though his mind was far more stronger than an average man's.

The room was thick with tension as both parties were locked in a standoff.

"Fine." Monroe relented with a hateful scowl and regret. He activated the comm channel and said, "All forces, lay down your weapons. The battle is over."

The UNSC staff put their weapons on the ground and allowed the storm troopers to restrain them. The brigadier general grit his teeth as two troopers forced him to his knees.

Suddenly Vader cut down an officer slicing the man's torso open much to everyone's surprise.

"No! You monster!" Monroe screamed in terror as the dead body slumped on the cold metal floor, eyes wide open in shock.

Vader did not stop and decapitated a woman right in front of everyone. Monroe and his men stared in horror at the two dead comrades while Vader clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

"Do not hesitate in the future. Take them away." Vader said and dismissed them and the troopers.

With little resistance the still shell-shocked captives were taken away by the imperials. Vader looked out of the window and oversaw the capture of the fort. Soon imperial banners marked the captured territory.

Arcadia would be theirs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Epoloch system**

 **Light frigate UNSC** _ **Forward Unto Dawn**_

 **Cryo-bay**

The broken human warship drifted lazily through space, half of it missing and wreckage surrounding the main wreck. Pieces of metal and parts floated through the corridors as the artificial gravity was offline for years. Not much remained of the ship that was once part of the UNSC home fleet. One would that think that it was empty of life, the crew dead or gone before the ship was torn apart, but inside the remainders of the vessel a female voice continued to echo throughout the dark corridors.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday – this is UNSC FFG201, _Forward Unto Dawn_ requesting immediate evac. Survivors aboard – prioritization code victor zero five dash three dash sierra zero one one seven."

Again and again the distress call repeated itself undisturbed until the wreckage of the ship began to shake. It rumbled as unknown orange energy made its way throughout the ship. Equipment began to spark and the floating debris moved no longer peacefully.

A lone terminal in the cryo-bay suddenly sprang to life as an AI's avatar materialized in reaction to the tremors. The feminine blue human had a startled and worried expression as she 'looked' around turning her head to the side. She brought up her hand as a screen appeared in front of her at her command. The screen showed a display of the damaged ship. The alarms on the highlighted decks were going off as the AI could hear them blaring. With another worried look she swiped to another display, that of the cryo chambers.

The AI glanced between the image of a man wearing MJOLNIR armor and the display of the ship while the alarms kept on blaring in the background. After a moment of hesitation she began the defrosting process. Her facial expression remained worried as the ship groaned once more.

"Wake up Chief." The woman pleaded and paused for a few seconds before adding, "I need you."

The Spartan's eyes opened immediately, slowly but steadily the blurred edges around his vision cleared away. He moved his head slightly and let out a light groan.

"Chief! Easy, you've been out for a while." Cortana spoke when Chief placed his hands against the glass of his cryo chamber.

"Where are we?" Chief asked as he calmed down.

Cortana's response was immediate; "We're still adrift on the Dawn."

"Why did you wake me?" Chief questioned while Cortana focused on the holographic display again.

"Hang on. Bringing your systems back online." Cortana said not answering the second question. "I rewrote your suit's firmware while you were out."

"You've been busy." It was more of a statement than anything else.

"Activating the ship's gravity generators."

The ship's central computer reactivated shortly after. "Partial system restoration. Initializing system diagnostics." As the monotone computer droned on the super soldier opened the hatch and made his way to Cortana's pedestal.

"Seems like old times." Cortana said with a smirk even as a loud crash echoed throughout the derelict ship.

"Ready to get back to work?" The Chief answered sharing his friend's enthusiasm even if more subdued.

Cortana smiled and crossed her arms. "I thought you'd never ask."

The Spartan ejected the AI chip and inserted it into the slot in the back of his helmet. He soon felt the familiar feeling of the cheeky AI entering his head. He quickly grabbed an assault rifle before a small screen showing Cortana appeared on his HUD. As he made his way out of the cryo-bay she briefed him on the situation.

"We've got intrusion alerts on multiple decks. Our best bet to figure out who's boarding us is the observation deck which is four floors up."

"Could it be a rescue team?" Chief proposed as he turned around the corner.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Cortana scoffed.

As the pair made their way through the abandoned corridors the Chief halted in front of a terminal and pressed on the display. A second later the ship's computer spoke up again stating that the weapon systems were back online. The Spartan continued sprinting around the ship and passed a few more locked doors on his way to the elevator shaft.

"How long was I out?" He asked while passing a star chart display.

"Four years, seven months and ten days." Cortana answered.

Behind the visor of his helmet he frowned slightly in response. "Someone should have found us by now."

Not a minute later the ship groaned and shook again as orange light passed through the walls and him. The Chief immediately went into combat mode.

"What was that?" He demanded while holding his weapon at the ready.

"Sensor scan, high intensity! Doesn't match any known pattern." Cortana said with a raised voice.

Chief hurried towards the elevator shaft with haste when he heard the tone she used. "How close are we to the observation deck?" He asked calmly.

"It's directly above us."

The Master Chief stopped in front of the elevator doors and attached his rifle to the back of his armor. He placed his hands between the heavy doors and used his augmented strength to slowly pry the doors open.

"Chief be careful-" But the doors were already open sucking both the Chief and two crates into the elevator shaft. The Spartan dodged the flying crates and grabbed the pipes to steady himself. "- because some areas might have lost pressure."

"Right." Chief deadpanned and climbed his way further.

As he made his way up more debris fell down but Chief was nimble enough to dodge all of it. He soon managed to get to the floor of the observation deck and climbed on it. Before he could get up properly an Elite charged at him through the dust cloud with an energy sword. The Chief knocked the sword away and grabbed the alien's helmet. All four mandibles spread open as the Elite roared at him but with enough tugging he was thrown into the elevator shaft.

"I thought we had a truce with the Covenant." Chief remarked over the cries of the Elite that fell to his death.

"A lot can happen in four years. Either way he's probably not alone. We should be careful." Cortana responded.

They made their way through a few more halls but Chief slowed down as he heard gunfire. He could make out the familiar sounds of plasma weapons, Grunt death cries, Jackal screeches and Elite roars but as he focused more on the other sounds he heard human cries and unfamiliar energy weapons.

He passed through the doorway to the observation deck and noticed a few things. There were Covenant soldiers but he could see that their armor was different and not normal. Another thing was that the Jackal looked different, perhaps a subspecies. The Grunt had uncovered mouths and different methane tanks. But the most interesting thing was what the Covenant was shooting at.

While the Covenant soldiers were at one side of the observation deck, there were multiple humanoids at the other in bright white armor and weapons that fired red laser bolts.

"Cortana?" Chief asked as he brought up his weapon and fired a burst at an unsuspecting Elite. The tall alien warrior's shields soaked up the first burst but broke down under the continued stream of gunfire. Before the Elite had a chance of retaliating, the bullets pierced his chest and blood spewed out of the wounds.

"They're not UNSC Chief." Cortana said but by now one of the unknown humans had spotted them and fired a laser bolt at them. Chief ducked behind cover and returned fire killing the assailant. "And they're not friendly!"

By now both boarding parties were aware of the Spartan's presence. The Elites roared as they shifted their focus to the Chief. Plasma bolts began hitting Chief's cover and one of the Grunts threw a plasma grenade at him. Chief rolled away from the primed explosive and placed a bullet in the smaller alien's head. He ran at the nearest Elite with his assault rifle taking care of its shields before killing the Elite. Two Jackals turned away from the other boarding party and aimed their carbines at him. Chief pulled a frag grenade from his belt and threw it between them. The Jackals could only screech a warning before it went off shredding them and a Grunt that came too close.

Before the Spartan II could finish off the last remaining Covenant troops he had to dodge the incoming laser bolts of his new assailants. Three of the white armored humans stood still as they shot at him, allowing Chief to eliminate them with a few bursts of his assault rifle. He crouched down and reloaded his weapon while another one got cut down by the plasma bolts of the last surviving Elite. His motion tracker then alarmed him of another one that tried to flank him. The white armored man thought he could catch the Spartan by surprise but the UNSC soldier came out of nowhere and slammed the butt of his rifle in the man's neck, ending his life immediately.

Chief spun around just in time to see the remaining Elite to fall as he was peppered by laser bolts from three sides. The last Covenant troops panicked and fired sporadically at both Chief and the other enemies. The Spartan aimed his assault rifle again and within two minutes he had cleared the observation deck of all intruders.

"I wonder who these guys are. Their armor is made out of an unknown material and their weapons aren't based on projectile or covenant plasma weaponry." Cortana mused as Chief ascended the stairs that led to the blast shields' override.

"We'll find out soon enough." Her companion answered as he activated the override.

"Well the good news is these Covenant aren't outfitted like standard military. It's possible we just came across a rogue salvage ship." Cortana said as the blast shields opened up, only to reveal an entire Covenant fleet. "Or we might have stumbled into an entire Covenant fleet."

A couple of Covenant battlecruisers were floating in front of the disabled human ship but in the distance there were multiple warships from alien design that were attacking the Covenant ships. Blue plasma and purple lasers danced with green laser bolts as both sides hit each other in a naval battle.

"Whoever these guys are aren't allied with the Covenant." Chief remarked but tensed when multiple Covenant shuttles headed towards his position.

"Landing craft, flanking us!" Cortana yelled in warning as two Phantoms appeared at both sides of the observation deck.

The boarding airlocks shattered the viewports, forcing the ship's system to activate the forcefields, and opened allowing Covenant troops to pile out. Chief raised his assault rifle immediately and gunned down the first Covenant soldiers, mostly Grunts, before reloading.

"Elite, on your left!" Cortana warned as another Elite charged him.

Chief reacted in an instant and dropped on one knee and fired at the tall alien. The guttural sounds that the Elite made were the last sounds he made before dropping on the metal floor. Four Grunts lined up and shot green blobs of plasma at him but Chief evaded their poor aim before finishing them off with ease. Years of fighting Covenant had rewarded him with enough experience to kill Grunts like they were nothing but insects.

Once the last Covenant soldier dropped dead he sprinted towards the exit all the while assessing the situation.

"We need to get off this ship." He stated as he ran down the hallways.

"We've got bigger problems. One of their cruisers is on an intercept course and whoever those other guys are have sent a cruiser of their own. Head for the elevator banks." His faithful companion informed.

"Didn't the ship's sensors say we still had weapon systems online?" Chief asked.

"Yes, but since the ship was torn in half, we can't access the weapons stations. We'll have to fire them manually from the outer hull." Cortana replied with a hint of frustration.

The Spartan rode the nearest elevator and raised his weapon when the door opened, checking if the area was clear before moving on. As another door allowed him to pass he ran into two Grunts and a Jackal, all three of them being surprised to see him and too late to act. Chief didn't even stop as he took the Grunts down with his assault rifle and the Jackal with a swing of his rifle. He quickly turned around the corner leaving the two lifeless Grunts and the disfigured Jackal behind.

Out of nowhere the ship shook once again with more sensor alarms going off.

"We just got hit by multiple boarding pods, not of Covenant design so it's safe to assume they're from our unknown guests." Cortana spoke as the shaking stopped.

They soon passed a viewport that showed the Covenant cruiser exchanging fire with a dagger shaped warship. Both ships were hammering the other with energy attacks but it appeared they were at a stalemate.

"Those ships are losing shields fast. If we can launch those two missiles they'll be in for one hell of a surprise." Cortana said smugly.

Further ahead a pair of Grunts ran away screaming in terror as red laser bolts whizzed past their heads. They didn't get far before being gunned down by more white armored humans. Their weapons did not silence as they changed their focus to the giant Spartan. Chief retaliated by taking them down one by one. Every single one of them was methodically eliminated by a continuous barrage from the Spartan's assault rifle.

"We've got a UNSC super soldier here! He's too strong, I repeat, too strong!" One of the soldiers yelled while pressing on the side of his helmet. One second later his head spun back as a bullet tore through his helmet.

"They speak English? Now that's a surprise." Cortana remarked while the Spartan took down the last trooper.

"How much further?" Chief asked in response as he continued jogging forward towards his destination.

"We're just about there. I am detecting Covenant comm chatter and the same from our new friends. Expect more resistance before we get there."

Chief halted in front of the last room he had to pass through as the corpse of a white armored human flew past him. The culprit was an Elite that was cutting through more of the human soldiers with an energy sword. The alien swiped in a horizontal arc which hit another soldier in the chest before doing the same with another one. A soldier fired at the Elite from behind, the laser bolts damaging the Ultra's shields, and one more fired a larger rifle that knocked the Elite back. The shields caved in but before the Covenant soldier died he gutted an opponent but was felled by the laser fire.

Chief wasted no time in throwing a plasma grenade that he had recovered off a Grunt's corpse. The blue ball soared through the air and landed on a trooper's back. Arms flailed around as the man tried to get the sticky explosive off him but it detonated before he could. Blue flames engulfed him and three of his compatriots. The soldier with the larger gun fired at the Spartan and managed to land a hit. Chief saw his shields drop by a good amount but he was quick and relentless. Three bullets found their way in the man's chest and throat, blood spilled as they penetrated armor and flesh.

"Alright that's it. Airlock is just up ahead. The auxiliary launch station should be on your left." Cortana said.

"Got it." Chief responded as the airlock closed behind him.

"You'll have to prime the launch for ignition." The AI continued but her voice became distorted and static formed on his HUD.

Concern filled the Spartan immediately. "Cortana?"

"It's nothing, just get to the launch station." She said dismissively but he only dropped the issue because the airlock opened. He would have to ask later.

He exited the airlock and became exposed to the cold vacuum of space. It would have been an awe-inspiring sight if not for the naval battle that raged on in front of the amazing find that Cortana kindly informed him of.

"I'm sorry, did I miss orbiting a Forerunner planet at some point?!" Cortana exclaimed incredulously and with a tinge of sarcasm.

"One thing at a time." Chief said dismissively. They had far more pressing moments at the moment.

Such as the Phantoms that were dropping off more Covenant soldiers, all dressed up with EVO suits. To make matters worse another airlock opened with more hostile humans piling out of it. Seeing no other path than through all those enemies, Chief raised his rifle and targeted the nearest Grunt.

Minutes passed as he fought through waves of enemy soldiers. The humans were tricky, some of them had jetpacks and did their best to harass Chief, an attempt that failed miserably. Another one which Cortana had labelled as a trooper aimed a larger rifle at him which fired a steady stream of laser fire. As the first bolts hit his shields he grabbed a nearby covenant carbine from a dead Jackal that was floating around with the weapon still clutched in its hands. It took only a second for him to lock on the trooper and fire a radioactive shot through the soldier's abdomen.

His motion tracker pinged suddenly alerting him to a nearing presence on his left. An Elite was coming for him and raised a new type of plasma rifle that looked more like a carbine than the standard plasma rifle. Chief fired with his carbine at the alien's head and after a few more shots the shields died out but by now the Elite was close enough to swipe at him with its large hand. Chief dodged and kneed the Covenant warrior in the gut before placing a round in its throat.

"Chief, you'd better hurry!" Cortana said alarmed as a stray laser bolt from the human ship hit the observation deck of the frigate.

She didn't need to say anything else as her Spartan carrier ran up a ramp that would give him access to the missile controls. Two troopers valiantly tried to stop him but were picked off so fast that they made no real difference. Once he arrived at the launch station he came face to face with a trooper wielding a chaingun that spat out too many laser bolts for his shields to hold against. He dove for the nearest cover and narrowly evaded a carbine shot that came from a surviving Jackal. With careful aim he shot the bird-like alien in the head and threw a plasma grenade at the heavy trooper. He waited for a few seconds before the explosion happened and the charred remains of the trooper floated around in a heap.

Chief walked up to the controls and pressed on the launch button that would fire off two missiles.

"Launch initiated" Cortana confirmed as the deck rumbled.

Two of the missile silos' blast doors began to open but one of them stopped just before it was completely unlocked.

"Great, the blast door is jammed. Unless we get it open both of them won't launch. Get down there Chief." Cortana instructed with annoyance.

The Spartan complied and exited the partially destroyed launch station. With the last troopers take care off there were only a few Covenant stragglers that put up a pathetic fight. None of them were a match for someone like the Master Chief. He dispatched them within two minutes and made his way to the missile silo.

He grunted as he kicked on the machinery which triggered the magnetic accelerator. The piece was put in place with a final kick and his visor had to adjust to the sudden light that came from the missile pod in front of him.

"You did it, now get back!" Cortana said loudly over the noise of both the missiles launching.

Both ships were too engrossed in fighting each other to react to the two missiles that came from the wrecked frigate. After fighting for such a long time the two ships had barely any shields left and fires were already raging on. The first missile hit the Covenant cruiser directly in its energy projector. The detonation caused a major malfunction in the weapon which unleashed a torrent of explosions as the cruiser literally fell apart in seconds. The human warship fared little better as the second missile hit it in its hangar entry point. With a fiery blast the ship was torn in half with more explosions continuing to destroy the hull.

Chief slowly walked forward on the hull to get a better view as the two burning ship erupted in flames but halted when a part of the metal world shone a bright orange. A beam of light shot out and washed over the UNSC super soldier. Alarmed by the sudden event he took a step back while examining his armor for any damage.

"Chief?" Cortana asked worried for him.

The Spartan looked up at the world and concluded, "The Covenant weren't the ones scanning us."

The metal pieces on the planet began to shift as a large hole appeared. Like a giant mouth it started to devour everything that was close to it. Both Covenant and unknown warships fell victim to the pull of the planet and were sucked in. What remained of the _Forward Unto Dawn_ shook and fell apart as it was affected as well.

"So _now_ can we worry about the giant metal planet!?" Cortana exclaimed loudly as more of the ship crumbled with metal pieces peeling off the hull.

Chief sprang in action by hurrying to the escape pods all the while Cortana analyzed their predicament.

"It's using a gravity well to pull us inside the surface! We've got to hurry; the second we cross that dome's event horizon, its atmosphere is going to tear us apart." She informed him.

"Where are the nearest escape pods?" Chief asked as he entered the airlock.

"Aft vehicle bay!" The AI shouted in response while a metal pipe fell from the ceiling.

It was total chaos as remaining hostiles ran around in panic due to the fact that the frigate was falling apart. The gravity well tore it apart with ceilings falling down and floors collapsing. It took all of his speed and agility to dodge debris or to jump over holes. Grunts were flailing their arms around before more debris crushed them. The central computer of the ship droned on about how the hull integrity kept on failing.

The Spartan II approached a door but stopped midway as it suddenly got ripped apart and the vacuum of space started sucking him into the dark abyss.

"Chief!"

He didn't reply as he tried holding on to the crushed door but his grip failed. It didn't matter how much strength he used, he kept on going against his will.

"Hold on!" Cortana cried out filled with dread.

He grabbed the railing but the metal was bended by the depressurization before being completely ripped off its hinges. The super soldier flew through the vacuum while spinning around before he flew towards the Forerunner planet. He tried dodging the debris but got occasionally hit by a piece of metal or a crate. At one point he even clashed with a trooper's corpse.

"We're caught in the gravity well." Cortana stated which was rather obvious to the Master Chief.

"Can you track the escape pod?" He asked still calm about the situation.

Cortana clearly didn't share his calm behavior. "Negative! Look out!"

In the distance he could see a Covenant battlecruiser ram one of the triangular shaped ships which resulted in both of them breaking apart. Something that was only reinforced by the gravity well's effect.

Seeing a slab of hull in front of him and realizing that he couldn't evade it, he did the one thing that he could do. He raised his arms and braced himself. Soon he hit the block of metal with immense ferocity.

Everything went black upon impact.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Cryptum chamber**

Chief sprinted as fast as he could towards the two pillars that Cortana highlighted. All around him his enemies battled each other for each their own reason. The Prometheans did what they could to keep anyone away from the controls, the Covenant did everything they could to gain control of the controls and the 'Galactic Empire' as Cortana found out were here by accident. They had stumbled upon the Cryptum and didn't know what to do. What they did know was that the Master Chief was a Spartan, and that was enough reason to shoot him on sight.

"Duck!" Cortana warned and Chief immediately dropped down.

A storm trooper flew over him and crashed a good distance away. The Spartan took a look at where the trooper came from which rewarded him the sight of a Promethean knight throwing another trooper away. The leftovers of the squad desperately shot at the tall machine but the shields of the thing absorbed the laser bolts without breaking down. The knight screamed and gutted another trooper with its blade. As the rigid body of the imperial went limp it aimed its scattershot and fired away, killing anything in its path.

Chief himself had to face Covenant, Prometheans and imperials to get to the Cryptum but he was almost there. Now he just had to contact the _Infinity_.

"Grab those pillars!" Cortana instructed when he got to the controls at last.

Chief darted towards the pillars and placed both hands on them. The machinery hummed at his touch.

" _Infinity_! This is sierra 117 of the UNSC _Forward Unto Dawn_. Do you copy?" He began but no response was given. Only static that echoed throughout the large room. " _Infinity_ do you read?"

The humungous orb's light started to shine brighter and slowly but steadily it rose from its previous position. A sudden stop came to the fighting below as every alien and machine watched the orb rise.

"Chief… Chief, let go of the contacts…" Cortana said in a hurry.

Stepping away from the pillars as if they had bitten him, Chief grabbed the assault rifle on his back while glaring at the orb.

"Find us an exit." He ordered as the orb glowed even more.

"Don't wait around on my account." Cortana replied before Chief jumped over the ledge.

He was just in time as a pulse of light shot out of the orb, shaking the room and everyone on the ground. A few more pulses shot out of it before the underside of orb opened. A single platform descended while carrying a strange being. It stood up and stretched slightly, allowing pieces of armor to attach to the tall six-fingered alien. Everything about it screamed Forerunner. The being stretched its arms while moving its hands. Once all pieces of armor were attached it spoke in a deep, cold voice.

"So fades the harvest of my great betrayal."

The being turned around and waved its hand at the Prometheans down below, orange waves of energy washing over them before their blue lights turned orange as well. The tall machines stood at attention as if they were waiting for orders and the Elites kneeled in reverence. Only the imperials showed hostile intent as they shuffled around with wariness in each step.

The being was not done however. It continued speaking with its gaze piercing through the metal that Chief used as cover.

"Even these beasts recognized what you were oblivious to, human. Your nobility had blinded you, as ever."

And with those words spoken the coverage disintegrated. Chief's Spartan instincts were fast as he raised his rifle but the being that he suspected to be a Forerunner was faster. Its hand shot out and a force field wrapped around him keeping him in place. His rigid body glided through the air and stopped close to the Forerunner's form.

"The Librarian left little to chance, didn't she? Turning my own guardians… my own world… against me. But what hubris to believe she could protect her pets forever. If you haven't mastered these primitives nor the mutants, then Man has not attained the mantle. Your ascendance may yet be prevented." The Forerunner rambled as his crimson eyes narrowed at Chief. Its less than aesthetic features sharpening in hatred and its voice on a condescending yet foreboding tone.

"Time was your ally, human, but now it has abandoned you. The Forerunners have returned." A metal mask formed around its face, giving the appearance of a skull.

"This tomb is now yours."

And with a flick of its hand the Master Chief was thrown away like a ragdoll. Chief slammed into a wall and fell on the floor. His grunts were audible enough and the armor's shields flickered around his motionless form. With another grunt he stood up, grabbed his rifle and turned his gaze towards the Forerunner only to see the platform ascend into the orb.

It was Cortana that broke the heavy silence.

"Slipspace rupture! Chief, move!" She cried out as wisps of energy surrounded the Forerunner's orb.

The Master Chief jumped over the ledge but the initial shockwave hit him in the back and threw him away. He hit the ground hard and for the second time that day, he blacked out.

With a silent groan he pushed himself up, Cortana's pleading not helping his headache. However he ignored the pain like always and stood up. He was combat ready and could move out.

"What's happening?" He asked immediately to gain a grasp on the situation.

"Moving the satellite into slipspace destabilized the core." The damaged AI explained but his attention was partially focused on her.

Two Phantoms were pulled towards the blinding light in the sky and crashed against each other. For a moment they seemed to be suspending in the air but eventually came crashing down. Chief brought his arms up in front of his faceplate to protect himself from the searing hot flames of the downed aircraft.

"The Didact's leaving! We've got to find a portal out of here before the whole network collapses!" Cortana instructed to which the Spartan reacted to.

He ran away from his previous spot and navigated through the collapsing ground while expertly dodging rubble that the tremors produced. On his way he came across a pile of dead storm troopers and what looked to be like some sort of motorbike. Seeing no other option he climbed on top of the strange machine.

"Do you even know how to drive this thing?" Cortana asked urgently yet with a hint of teasing.

The speeder bike came to life and soon he found himself moving at a high acceleration. "I do now." He replied equally in kind.

Chief was glad that got an amused chuckle out of her and sped through the ravines. The moving terrain proved to be quite the hindrance but the speeder was reliable. At one point he had to evade a rock the size of a Warthog but he prevailed as always. On his way he encountered multiple hostiles desperately trying to escape but with no such luck.

"I can see the portal." He said as the blue whirling vortex appeared in his sight.

"Hurry up Chief, and don't look behind you." Cortana replied drawing a confused grunt from him.

He ignored her warning and looked behind him coming face to face with a tsunami of rubble. With the extra motivation he increased his speed even further all the while not listening to Cortana's annoyed comments.

With one final boost he soared through the air and found his mark. There was the usual blinding light of a teleportation and the disturbing feeling as if he was turned inside out. The light faded as soon as it came and was replaced by a mountain range and the ever nearing edge of the mountain he found himself on.

"Whoa, cowboy!" A startled Cortana said.

Stopping now was useless, so he steered the vehicle around and jumped off of it. As the speeder bike rolled over the edge he planted his feet firmly in the ground and slowly came to a halt with little room to spare. It was definitely a close call. He even faintly hear a small explosion.

"Chief, there!"

His head snapped up towards the sky and after a few seconds an enormous ship came out of the clouds. While it was definitely UNSC, he did not recognize the design which meant he was staring at the UNSC _Infinity_.

But the ship was not maintaining a steady path. No, it was slowly descending and if the energy that crackled around its hull like lightening was any indication then it was crash-landing.

Suddenly his radio picked up a UNSC signal and what he heard was not good.

"Mayday! Mayday! This is the captain of the UNSC _Infinity_. Unknown entity has seized control of our ship. We're without power, and on a collision course with an unidentified Forerunner planet."

The Master Chief could only watch as the human warship flew right over him. Its engines were visibly powering down and it came closer and closer to Requiem's soil.

"Marking. Impact predicted 77.8 kilometers due north." Cortana informed him.

His hearing heard humming which intensified by the moment, probing him to aim his weapon and crouch. It proved to be needless as the large orb that acted as the Didact's transport ascended before suddenly flying away with tremendous speed.

Cortana broke the silence, "You know where he's heading."

"Same place we are."

* * *

 **Requiem**

 _ **Infinity**_ **crash site**

 **Pelican 054**

"Buckle up marines! Today we're going to make a little fieldtrip to this magnificent Forerunner deathtrap. As you all know, our fine ship was eaten by this bitchy planet. Now the douchebags that called themselves Forerunners may have thought that something like this would make our fate seem hopeless; stranded on some fancy looking dirt ball. But they were wrong! We, our beloved corps, will kick against the walls of this place until it spits us out! We will kick ass, and look badass while doing it! Am I right marines?!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Damn right you sons of bitches."

Thomas Lasky shook his head in amusement. Sergeant Burney was a man that loved getting his marines riled up just before they touch the ground. The man's loud voice was clearly heard throughout the Pelican's troop bay. The marines went through their usual routine before they got to the drop zone and the two Spartan IVs were interacting with them. It was only normal for them to do so since they weren't the IIs or IIIs. Only Palmer remained silent but she wasn't wearing her helmet which allowed him to see the scowl on her face.

"Scanners have picked up unknown signatures. Any idea what they might be?" Lasky asked with the intention of trying to make her participate in small talk.

"Probably something Forerunner. At least I know how to kill an Elite and a storm trooper." She replied as she looked at him.

"Covenant and imperials all together? I just hope they won't ever team up against us." Lasky quipped.

"Fat chance." Palmer replied but showed a tiny smirk.

Their chatter was interrupted by the pilot on the intercom, "We're arriving in one minute so get ready."

The marines' chatter became more subdued as they checked their equipment one more time. Lasky took another look at his handgun while Palmer did the same with her assault rifle. The rest of the ride was short as the Pelican and the two others behind theirs slowed down until they got to the drop zone. The three transports descended and turned around before the hatches opened.

The marines all steadily disembarked like they had been trained to do and spread out with their guns up. Lasky was the last to exit the vehicle along with Palmer. He eyed the his surroundings with an instant feeling that one could describe as anxiousness. The rush of air and the loud noise behind him signaled the departure of the dropships.

"I'm detecting a Forerunner signal two klicks to the east. It's our best option to find a terminal in which we can get the location of the gravity well." A marine with scanning equipment reported as she typed on a TACPAD attached to her forearm.

"We'll go towards the signal first. Let's move out people." Lasky decided and gave a nod towards Palmer.

"Marines up front, Spartan Delano on the left flank and Spartan Rogers on the right! Keep your eyes open! Now move!" Palmer barked as she stayed close to Lasky.

The marines moved out keeping their rifles ready and their fingers on the triggers. The two Spartan IVs took the flanks and constantly checked their motion trackers for any sudden movement. Lasky couldn't hear anything but the sounds of the jungle which unsettled him. Palmer remained at his side like a guardian but she was ready to take out any opponent that crossed her path. Bugs were flying all around the place, luckily not biting any of the marines. At one point a distant roar of an animal spooked a younger marine much to his peers' amusement. Lasky idly thought that it would haunt the guy for quite time.

After a good amount of slowly walking through the harsh vegetation they came across a large tree that blocked their path. Lasky whistled at the size of the fallen tree but was alerted by the steady hum that vibrated through the air. The others felt it as well and not much later the humming became louder.

"Find cover!" Lasky ordered quickly.

The marines and Spartans took positions close to the foliage around them and kept their weapons up.

After a couple of antagonizing tense seconds a lone shuttle glided over the their position. As it passed it was followed by more of the same type of aircraft. Lasky squinted his eyes and looked more closely before recognizing the design. The vehicles were imperial IDTs and by the looks of it there were enough to carry an entire company. He faintly heard the distinctive sound of a TIE fighter as well.

"Imperials? What the hell are they doing here?" One of the marines wondered.

"It doesn't matter. We better get to that signal before they spot us." Lasky said while eying a dropship.

Palmer nodded and extended an arm before saying, "Move out."

As one the two squads and Spartans walked forward as they traversed the lush jungle. Their footsteps were measured and their breathing calm. Lasky found himself wondering why the empire would send dropships to the jungle terrain. Logically it would be because of the same reason they were here; the Forerunner signal.

It worried him much more than he liked, and he hoped that they wouldn't have to engage the imperials in an all-out battle. With the _Infinity_ stranded they were most likely without support. He had confidence in the marine squads and the three Spartans, but to take on an entire platoon along with probably walkers was a fight that was not in their favor. They would have to play it smart and use their surroundings.

The marine with the scanner jogged up to him which shook him out of his thoughts.

"Sir, the objective is just up ahead. However I am detecting unknown signatures along with covenant signals." She reported grimly.

"Covenant as well? This is getting bad." Palmer remarked sourly.

Lasky agreed with her, "Contact the ship and inform the admiral of our situation. We're going to need-"

"Contact! Hostiles engaging!" A marine yelled as orange bolts flew through the bushes.

One of the marines got hit in the neck and much to everyone else's horror the soldier disintegrated into nothing as the unknown projectile landed. The rest dropped down and took cover from the barrage.

"Return fire!" Palmer ordered as she fired her own assault rifle to lessen the pressure.

Their guns barked as they fired back at the ambushers with vengeance. Lasky could faintly see the shape of an insectoid-like creature before it disappeared in a flash, only for it materialize in front of them. It was definitely ugly. A tall metal robot with a large back similar to a bug with four arms of which two were tiny like a T-rex and a skull for a face. One of the larger arms held a blade while the other held a strange rifle of sorts.

Lasky shouted at his marines to target it but the thing already struck by firing an orange bolt which hit a marine in the front right in the chest. It blew apart his insides and Lasky noted that those weapons packed one hell of a punch. Spartan Rogers fired his own rifle at the creature's head before its shields popped and stopped functioning. The bullets found their way into its head and just like its victims it disintegrated in orange light.

"More of them coming from our left." Sergeant Burney told his men as four smaller robots crawled over the fallen trees.

The four dog-like machines screeched and opened their mouths as they fired volleys of orange bolts at the soldiers. Their aim was slightly off but they were agile, jumping from log to log all the while evading bullets. Lasky aimed his handgun and with one precision shot took down one of the pests. It disintegrated as it bursted apart.

"Riley and Samuel, grenades now!" Burney shouted over the roar of a private's SAW.

The two mentioned marines unclipped their frag grenades and took out the pins. They threw the explosives at an advancing insectoid machine that was followed by two more of the crawling ones. It regarded the round objects at its feet for a moment before looking up at the marines and giving a loud screech. Its face parted revealing an eerie glowing orange human skull which visibly scared the UNSC soldiers. It never got to finish its scream as the grenades went off and shredded it apart along with the two smaller machines.

"Palmer I need you to clear us a path. If we stay here we might get overrun." Lasky said as he crouched beside the Spartan IV.

She nodded and motioned for Delano and Rogers to take point as the three Spartans of the newest generation charged forward. Their combined firepower and lethality tore the offending machines apart and cleared a path towards the Forerunner signal.

Lasky rallied his men and guided them away from the firefight. The machines saw them flee but gave no pursuit. Probably to regroup if Lasky's hunch was correct. Yet one of the marines tripped and before he could get back up he was stabbed in the back by one of the large blades that the taller machines carried.

After a long sprint the human soldiers slowed down and took deep breaths to calm down. Lasky felt his adrenaline fade away and gazed upon what was left of his men. Around five marines had died in the short skirmish and he wasn't looking forward to continue but he had to.

"What the hell were those things? Some sort of imperial droid?" Palmer asked him as she reloaded her assault rifle.

"No, they were clearly of Forerunner design. Not to mention that those dropships landed much farter away. I guess they're some sort of defensive force on the planet like sentinels." He replied while swiping away the sweat that had formed on his forehead. The heat in the jungle wasn't helping.

"Well the signal is just up ahead. I say we head there immediately before those thing find us again." Palmer said determined to see the mission through.

"Agreed." Was all that Lasky said in response.

After taking a quick breather and checkup the marines marched on. Navigating through the jungle became easier as large openings surrounded the signal. According to the scanner it was extremely close. Only a couple of meters left before they arrived.

Burney raised his fist and they halted. Lasky tensed as the sergeant motioned for him and Palmer to come forward. It was then that they saw their objective.

A Forerunner bunker. It was largely covered by the vegetation that grew over the years but its architecture was still visible. The entrance to the bunker was at a higher vantage point and their only way was to climb. They could probably do so by using the roots of the giant trees, but going out there would mean they had to leave their cover. Out in the open the unknown machines could probably slaughter them unless there was a distraction.

"I can take Rogers and Delano to lure them away while you get the rest of the men inside." Palmer volunteered as if following his thoughts.

Lasky nodded his agreement. Burney nodded as well and silently gathered the marines while the Spartans took point.

"Move out." Lasky said not to loud but loud enough for his men to hear.

Palmer darted forward with the other two Spartans towards the beginning of the roots. Not long after the first Prometheans appeared. They struck hard by bringing three knights along with multiple crawlers. The Spartans dove for cover and retaliated all the while the marines ran for the bunker.

Palmer raised her rifle and emptied her clip into a knight that stood in the open. Its shields bursted apart and its head followed suit. She grinned at the disintegrating corpse but felt her own shields take the brunt of combined crawler fire. Orange hardlight bullets shattered her shields and were it not for Delano who dealt with the smaller Prometheans she might have been injured.

"More of those dogs on our right! These things keep on coming." Rogers spoke up while firing away with precise aim. The crawlers stood no chance against his accuracy.

A Promethean knight teleported itself close to Palmer and swiped at her with its massive blade. With her enhanced reflexes she dropped in a crouch and dashed forward straight into the bulk of the large Forerunner AI. It stumbled back due to the heavy weight of her armor and her strength but let out a defiant screech. She ignored its seemingly growing anger and slammed the butt of her rifle in its face. The knight lost its posture and fell on the ground while its tiny arms flailed around. Palmer snarled and unleashed a torrent of bullets in its face before it finally disintegrated.

"How many more of the marines need to get inside?" She asked as she resumed firing at the nearest Prometheans.

Rogers kicked a crawler away and replied in a hurry, "They're just reaching the entrance."

Palmer nodded and threw a grenade while stepping back slowly. "Then it's our turn. Pull back to the bunker!"

"Yes ma'am." Both Spartan IVs simultaneously said as they all ran for the bunker.

Palmer narrowly dodged the deadly particle bolt that whizzed past her head and spun around shooting at the offending knight. Its shields fell part but the deadly AI quickly retreated by using its teleportation. With a low growl the Spartan disengaged and ran after the already ascending IVs. If her motion tracker was correct as she glanced at it then there were at least a dozen crawlers pursuing them.

Lasky and four marines opened fire from their higher position at the horde of crawlers to buy their comrades some time but when one the marines got hit in the throat by a knight's rifle Lasky waved them inside. Just in time too as the Spartans finally arrived at the bunker's entrance. Suddenly the comm came to life as their engineer reported from the inside.

"XO. We got it!" The engineer who was responsible for cracking the door's lock said with relief.

Palmer fired a burst at another crawler which soon bursted apart in orange light. "Move! Move! Move!" She yelled at the marines.

"Light's green!" One of them said to his companions.

"C'mon, crank it!" The sole female member encouraged as they moved inside.

Relieved that the marines were finally safe Lasky entered as well while saying, "Palmer, get your folks inside!"

"Yes sir! Fours, go!" She yelled in response as she and the two other Spartans entered the bunker while returning fire.

The engineer did his work and within moments the bunker's doors closed, sealing the human soldiers inside and keeping the Forerunner AIs outside.

Palmer sighed and removed her helmet. Her ponytail fell from its confines and she moved her gloved hand across her face to swipe the slight amount of sweat away. She then faced Lasky who was talking with a marine who had a long range communicator on his back. Sergeant Burney on the other hand was trying to calm his men down. Their fear of the death machines that they just encountered was justified but a liability on the battlefield. Palmer could only hope that they got their act together for when they jumped into another firefight.

"What are we going to do now? This reconnaissance mission has gone completely sideways." Palmer said once Lasky was done with the comm specialist.

The XO of the crashed ship let out a small sigh of frustration at their current scenario. "We'll try establishing contact with _Infinity_ and request an extraction. However until we clear a path to a good extraction zone we're pretty much stuck. Our tech operator is downloading the gravity well's location as we speak."

Palmer grimaced but understood. They had encountered new hostiles and saw a whole imperial platoon along with covenant signals. Three enemies that wanted nothing more than kill every last one of them. Unless a miracle happened they were indeed pretty much stuck in the Forerunner bunker.

Hopefully it wouldn't become their tomb.

* * *

 **The imperials will play a bigger role in the next chapter. As for the long delay my apologies but after a surgery I didn't find enough motivation.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Requiem**

 **Jungle surrounding** _ **Infinity**_ **crash site**

 **Forerunner bunker**

Chief relaxed his posture as the doors of the Forerunner building moved. The heavy reinforced metal parted and immediately three humans came out with weapons drawn. Chief didn't miss the fact that they wore MJOLNIR armor but ignored it for now. His gaze turned back to the entrance and saw an officer walk outside. The man's face looked familiar but obviously the officer recognized him.

"Afraid we're gonna have to give you an IOU on that welcome home party." The officer said with a friendly tone before reaching out his hand. Chief grasped it as the man introduced himself. "Tom Lasky, first officer of the _Infinity_. Never thought I'd see you again."

So he had met the man before. Before Chief could ponder on it further the unmasked soldier commanded loudly, "Seal 'er up."

Chief kept his attention on Lasky as the soldier slowly stepped back. From the side of his vision he saw her look him up and down as if assessing him. She finally came to a halt and smirked at him.

"I thought you'd be taller." She remarked which got a reaction from him as he looked at her with his own critical look. So far he didn't like what he saw.

Their short staring contest was interrupted by a long range communicator in the background that started acting up. From what Chief could hear a man that sounded to be in his late fifties was ordering all ground teams to return to the ship. The marine at the radio called out to Lasky who gave a nod and strode towards the soldier with the device. Chief and Palmer fell in line while the two other armored soldiers went back in as well. The bunker's doors closed behind them.

"Respond to comm…On what frequency? What frequency dammit?" The line had some static but by now the captain's voice was clearer. Chief noticed the frustration in the elderly man's tone which meant something bad was happening.

Lasky crouched next to the radio and reported immediately. "Infinity, this is Commander Lasky. Pelican recon teams are down. Repeat, all birds are down. We've got numerous causalities and require immediate assistance. Over."

"Finally… Did you get the coordinates to that gravity well." The captain said in way as if he didn't care whether they made it out alive.

"Affirmative, sir. But we're gonna need a bus out of here-" Lasky pleaded but Del Rio cut him off harshly.

"Make it happen!" The captain growled and ended the conversation.

Lasky sighed in visible dismay at their current situation and the lack of support. Palmer made a grunt that showed her own anger and disgust. Chief remained silent but Cortana spoke up breaking the silence.

"You were sent on a scouting run in the middle of an attack on the ship?" She questioned incredulously. While not showing it, Chief shared her thoughts at the rather poor tactical decision.

"The Captain thought Infinity could provide us cover and hold off the attack at the same time." Lasky dully explained as he tried thinking of a solution.

Palmer stepped forward as she approached her commanding officer. "Sir, we'll never get the wounded back to the ship on foot." She said grimly.

Lasky looked her in the eyes before averting his gaze knowing it was true. Many had died at the hands of the Prometheans and the wounded stood no chance. Then as if he reached an epiphany he stood up with hope.

"I don't know if it's too soon to ask you for a favor but we're going to run out of breathing room here real quick. I don't suppose you're any good at clearing LZs?" Lasky asked hopefully as he looked at the Master Chief's visor.

There was a slight tilt of his helmet as he spoke in reassurance. "On occasion. I'll send out an all-clear once the area's secured."

Lasky let out a sigh again but this time of relief. "Thank you. Aside from those machines we've picked up covenant signals and saw an imperial platoon with dropships fly around. Let's hope that we won't be meeting them any time soon."

"About these imperials, what do you know of them?" Cortana asked.

"Ah of course, you've been out for a while." Lasky said and a frown appeared on his face. "A couple of months ago we were attacked by a human civilization that exists in outer space. They call themselves the Galactic Empire and declared war on the UEG and its colonies. Their first attack was sudden and ruthless. Harvest fell and not much later our other outer colonies came under siege. We've been losing ground but around two weeks ago we managed to get a foothold. Doesn't really matter much since they keep throwing troops and ships at us but it gives us an opportunity to counter attack."

"Great. We just ended a war and now we're back in one." Cortana deadpanned.

"We'll deal with them once we get back to the ship. Let's move out." Chief said as he accepted the extra ammo a marine offered him.

Two marines walked with him to other side of the bunker as they reached the other door which was a lot smaller than the one in the front. It opened automatically as the trio stepped outside only to come under fire by a squad of Prometheans.

"A topographical scan of the area shows a break in the foliage north of here. Should be big enough to bring in a dropship for evac." Cortana spoke up over the gunfire.

Chief jumped down the small hill and kicked a knight in the shin. It stumbled and failed to block the armored fist that broke its skull mask apart. Chief placed a bullet in it before moving on, leaving the disintegrating corpse behind. The two marines provided cover fire from above while Chief carved his way through the small horde of crawlers. Their death cries echoed throughout the jungle expanse as they fell one by one.

"Damn he's good." A marine remarked as they fired upon a watcher. The smaller Promethean bursted apart under the combined gunfire in glowing orange embers.

"That's why he's the Chief." His friend replied with a grin as they saw the mentioned Spartan kill a knight from up close with lightning fast moves.

One of the knights roared and charged with two crawlers at its side. Chief unclipped a frag grenade and rolled it down the ground from his higher position. The Prometheans ignored it and kept on running. Chief fired his DMR at the knights face but the bullets pinged off its shields harmlessly. Finally the grenade went off blasting the two crawlers in pieces and shreding the knight's legs. It let out a screech as it crashed into the ground. With strained effort from the damage it took it slowly picked itself up only to die at the hands of the Spartan II who placed his last bullet in its face.

"Let's move up." He ordered as the two marines fell in line.

He had to slow down considerably so the marines could follow which always bothered him but after years of combat got used to it. By now only crawlers remained and as the little pests that they were they failed to even slow him down. At that time as they turned around one of the giant roots the radio came to life as Lasky contacted them.

"Chief, it's Lasky. We're getting reports of friendlies pinned down near your position. Can you assist?" The officer asked with worry. Clearly he cared about his men which was a trait that Chief could respect.

"Commander, this is Cortana. We're on our way." Came the response of his companion.

Chief could see the battle in the distance. Four marines were desperately trying to keep the Prometheans that assaulted them away. Their aim was steady and resolve was strong but the Prometheans had numbers as the crawlers took the front while the knights remained in the back. Chief sprinted ahead leaving the two marines to follow at a slower pace as he dashed forward towards the crates that were placed at the marines their position.

He ran past the startled marines and grabbed a fully loaded shotgun in his path as he jumped into the fray. The first crawler growled at him and opened its mouth but a shotgun shell split its small head apart. Chief rolled over the ground and fired another shell in a crawler that was firing from atop a tree. While he shot the remaining crawlers the marines looked on in awe.

"I thought he was dead."

"Holy mother of…"

"Who's that?"

"What. The. What?"

The two marines that came to their aid grinned despite the fatigue of their sprint. By now Chief had successfully killed every crawler in the vicinity leaving only a duo of knights.

"That's right, we got the Master Chief to save our asses." One of them said after a quick breather.

The four marines that were being pushed back cheered at the news and with renewed vigor they supported Chief. The knights never stood a chance against Chief but with six marines giving cover fire they made no difference at all. Within the minute the path was clear and even the two Promethean automatic turrets were easily disabled.

The marines spread out and took positions behind cover and turrets while Chief strode towards the passage door. It was sealed but the pedestal might unlock it. He took the AI chip out of his helmet and inserted it in the access port. Cortana understood as she went to work right away.

"These doors open into a cave system with space large enough for an LZ. Hold them off long enough for me to open the doors!" The rampant AI instructed.

They didn't have to wait long before the first wave arrived. Prometheans poured out of the bushes, their electronic war cries vibrating through the air. Chief paid them no mind as he unleashed a hail of high caliber bullets upon the shielded knights. Their defenses were overwhelmed by the sheer firepower of three turrets and four marines firing at them.

One knight teleported close to their position in a flash. It aimed its scattershot but got blown apart by a railgun that one of the marines sported. Its entire midsection was torn apart and it disintegrated soon after the deed.

"Woohoo! Take that you freaks!" The killer of the knight shouted as he reloaded the heavy weapon.

Another Promethean knight came into view while being protected by a watcher. It carried an incineration cannon that glowed bright orange before firing at their fortified position. Luckily it didn't kill anyone but it did wound an unlucky marine. Chief saw the knight march forward so he shifted his aim at the bulkier knight. As the first volley hit the knight he was soon joined by a marine with their only rocket launcher. It tried to dodge but its bulkier frame and the heavy weapon it carried made it impossible to do so. The knight went down as it was too damaged to continue the fight.

More crawlers charged but fell under the rain of bullets and frag grenades. One particular knight with visible modifications roared revealing its glowing skull. The other knights roared as well before they all crouched and teleported away. All remaining Prometheans gave their own cries as they practically turned around and fled the carnage.

"That was too easy." A marine remarked.

"They knew it was hopeless. The moment we took out their heavy firepower they deemed the battle lost." Chief explained as he grabbed more ammo. "Cortana? How close are we?"

"YOU DO YOUR JOB AND I'LL DO MINE, OK?" A very distorted and angry Cortana shouted in response.

Chief immediately marched up to the pedestal that glowed a soft blue. The marines gathered some supplies as he did so and prepared to hold the passageway. He stopped just in front of the pedestal but Cortana didn't materialize her hologram right away. Behind his helmet the Master Chief frowned in concern for his AI companion. The door suddenly opened and the chip ejected from the pedestal. Without saying anything he inserted her back into his helmet. He silently checked his ammunition before entering the cavern.

"I'm sorry about back there. That hatch's security was more difficult than I expected." Cortana said after a few seconds of silence.

"It's alright." Chief replied reassuringly.

Cortana however disagreed with him. "It's not alright. Nothing about it is alright."

Her somber tone was nothing like her at all. It was so strange to hear and unnerved Chief who was used to a confident Cortana. Her rampancy was taking its toll on her while growing stronger and stronger. Chief had to focus on the mission, they would stop the Didact and get back to Halsey.

It was the only way to save Cortana.

* * *

 **Procyon system**

 **Orbit around Arcadia**

 **Cardan-class space station mark II**

Moff Talia waited idly in her chair behind her desk. It wasn't spacious nor grand but modest. There were a few decorations from her home planet such as the two statues of mythical beasts behind her. A banner of the empire hung proudly for everyone to see along with one of her home planet. She smoothed out her uniform for the umpteenth time to make sure she would look presentable. This was one of the most important meetings of the war after all. Gaining the support of the people she was about to meet was paramount to the success of the terran-imperial war.

Traitors to the UEG but valuable allies to the empire; the insurrectionists.

If there was one thing that the empire understood, then it was that rebels were a pain in the ass for those they tormented. As powerful as the UNSC might be they had their own backstabbers. All the information gathered so far had pointed towards them as their best options at getting the advantage on the front. Fear of the UNSC finding their own planets was greater than ever after the reports from the ISB. In fact every report became more frustrating. Their advancing troops were stopped, their ships caught in ambushes, raids on supply lines and as if it could get any worse one of their battlegroups was destroyed by a splinter group of the former Covenant. Moff Talia was one of the few to be privy to their plans in the milky way so she knew that another fleet was dispatched to follow the mad aliens and slaughter them for even thinking about picking a fight with the empire.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her comm that went off. She recollected her thoughts and stored them far away in the back of her mind. For this meeting she needed to be fully concentrated.

"Yes this is moff Talia." She said as she pressed on the answer button.

"Ma'am we are picking up a slipspace portal. The vessel has been identified as a Gladius-class corvette named the _Marathon_. Their codes match those that we were given by the insurrectionists." An imperial officer reported crisply.

"Send two of our light cruisers and a TIE escort. Guide them to the station's hangar but do try to be careful." She ordered firmly. The last thing she needed was an incident before the negotiations began.

"Yes ma'am." The officer replied.

The small insurrectionist corvette soon found itself flanked by two Arquitens-class light cruisers and multiple TIE fighters. They remained in a tight formation and made sure not to come too close to the other vessel. Together they made their way towards the space station where multiple star destroyers floated around and starfighters patrolled. For the special occasion they increased the patrols and brought in an extra amount of Imperial-class star destroyers to show their military might.

The corvette soon found itself landing in a spacious hangar bay that could fit two of its design. Rows upon rows of storm troopers, TIE pilots and other troopers stood in parade rest to both welcome and intimidate their guests. Moff Talia stood at the beginning of the columns of troopers and was flanked by two imperial officers; general Durame and admiral Koryn with the latter being the man in charge of the fleet above Arcadia which was now under their control, mostly. Four storm troopers with black pauldrons and heavy blasters were their guards along with two bulky sentry droids as additional security and intimidation.

Finally the ramp of the ship lowered itself and a large group of humans exited it. There were nine of them in total, if their attire suggested anything there were three diplomats and six guards, of which their guards were fully armed with various weapons.

The first man was in his sixties and a posture that demanded respect. Grey hair, grizzled face and nasty scars made him look quite frightening. He wore attire that hinted at a naval officer of sorts. The second man was considerably younger and less formal but looked cunning. The way he carried himself and the sharp looks he gave reminded Talia of an imperial officer. Lastly there was the lone woman of the group. She was shorter than the two but appeared to be their speaker since she took point.

Talia took a step forward and made a slight bow before she said, "Welcome aboard our station. My name is Nadine Talia and I am the moff in charge of this region. This is admiral Koryn and general Durame. They will be present during our negotiations."

The woman of the group stepped forward as well and bowed in the same way. The old man crossed his arms and had a stony expression while the younger man with combed hair clasped his hands behind his back with a friendly but devious smile.

"My name is Alexandra Conner and I am the representative of the New Colonial Alliance. This is captain Matthews Dubois and lieutenant Thomas McKinley. Captain Dubois is one of our best naval officers and lieutenant McKinley is part of our intelligence group. We are here to represent the NCA for admiral Mattius Drake." The woman introduced herself and her fellow rebels.

Dubois shifted his gaze to Durame before saying in a thick French accent, "You are the man that captured Harvest are you not?"

Durame only answered with a nod to which Dubois grunted. Neither of them were happy with meeting each other but their military careers formed at least begrudging respect between the two.

"You have a nice setup here miss Talia. I wonder how much more resources you have at your disposal." McKinley spoke up as he eyed the motionless troopers.

"I assure you that the empire's resources are vast. Now that we are speaking about resources I propose we take our conversation to one of the conference rooms onboard. Refreshments will be ready when we arrive. Your guards can accompany us if you want." Talia offered and gestured for the delegates to follow.

"Very well moff Talia, let us proceed." Conner agreed as they strode through the gathering of troopers.

As they made their way the insurrectionists looked at the various types of troopers and the two small bipedal walkers that stood guard as well. Their guards fell in line behind them and walked side by side with the troopers and two droids. The blast door opened revealing the standard imperial grey and made their way through the station.

At one point they came across a window through which they could see a star destroyer drift by almost lazily. Two Lambda-class shuttles departed from the underbelly and made their way towards the surface of the now occupied planet. Captain Dubois eyed the warship with great interest which did not go unnoticed by moff Talia.

"Have you ever seen a star destroyer captain?" She inquired.

"We've seen the vids that the UNSC made. However those were not in great detail nor could you properly see most of it." The captain responded curtly.

"They are the backbone of our navy." Admiral Koryn said with pride. "They have tremendous firepower and while the shields are… lacking against your MACs they do work very well against the usual energy based weapon. Be it a turbolaser or plasma they hold strong."

"If we were to join you, would you consider contributing them to our operations?" McKinley asked suddenly as he joined in on their conversation.

"It would depend on what you need one for. An ISD cannot be given away that freely. If your operation were to be profitable to the empire then our answer would be most likely yes and we'd have a task force ready to help you. We still do not know most of the UNSC's colonies. A fact that we would like to remedy with your help." Talia answered neutrally as she glanced at the intelligence agent.

"Nevertheless we need to dictate the terms of our alliance first. Our people might be willing to work with you but we do have our terms. Ever since this war began most people on the outer colonies have been growing angrier at the UEG for diverting assets to the planets they deem important. It is one of the main reasons that many colonists would rather negotiate instead of fighting. The outer colonies have never been big fans of the UEG but we want to be free of a government dictating our every move. That is however something you imperials do seem to be in certain aspects." Conner interjected with a firm tone.

That would obviously be a problem in the future. Talia knew what would be done once their goal was achieved; tighten their grip on the terran population and through manipulation, fear and intimidation they would control all worlds. It was something that the NCA would ultimately disagree with. But that was why Talia was there, as a moff she knew everything about politics.

"Why of course miss Conner. The emperor only wishes the best for those colonies. You will be part of the empire but retain many rights and power. Now please let us proceed." She said through the perfect sabacc face that any moff had.

They would be pawns to be used in the name of the empire and discarded once their conquest was completed.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 _ **Infinity**_ **crash site**

 **Southern battlefield**

"Incoming!"

Commander Lux covered his head as another plasma shell impacted close to his position. His green armored helmet was covered in dirt and the hideous smell of burnt flesh was fresh in the air much to his disgust.

"Where is that damned air support!?" He demanded as he used his binoculars to see more and more Covenant troops flank him at one side while UNSC marines did the same on the other side.

"They're engaging hostile aircraft sir." The storm trooper with the comm unit at his side answered quickly.

"Blast it! Now I have no choice but to commence an all-out assault." The imperial officer said in frustration.

"As you should have from the beginning."

Lux felt shivers go down his spine as he turned around. The one person that everyone of their battlegroup had been evading was standing there, watching him with an inquisitive gaze. That man was operative Axis and was from the ISB. Two nova troopers were at his side followed by imperial navy commandos, some of the empire's best troopers. Just standing in the presence of the man and his soldiers was causing his nerves to go wild. Someone like operative Axis had the authority to dispose of anyone; people like him.

"Operative Axis, sending in scouts and a small force was the best course of option to see what kind of defenses they have-"

"Your attempt to save your own skin is not working out well for you. Commence your assault and cover our approach." The ISB agent interrupted as he and his entourage passed by the sweating officer.

Barely a minute passed before storm troopers swarmed the crash site. They all ran past the broken soil and burning wreckage with blasters firing at anything that wasn't imperial in an attempt to breach the UNSC warship. As they charged forward their backup made itself known as walkers of different kinds joined in on the attack. AT-STs, AT-DPs, AT-MPs and finally two AT-ATs shook the ground with their massive metal feet. A wave of white and grey was coming for both the UNSC and the Storm Covenant.

While the marines, ODSTs and occasional Spartan IV were in a fortified defensive position, the Covenant was not. Therefore when the imperials attacked they met the alien zealots first. Plasma and laser bolts were exchanged as both sides fired on each other. The Grunts stood little chance as the troopers carved their way through their ranks. The Jackals had better results and were on equal footing with the white armored humans. The Elites though were a much different story.

Storm troopers cried out as the warrior species ripped them apart. For every Elite that they managed to put down they lost at least three to four troopers. The vicious fanatics used their superior fighting abilities to take down the weaker storm troopers. Plasma tore away at the plastoid armor and the flesh beneath it as the Elites fired their storm rifles. The hail of plasma bolts effectively cut down any foolish trooper that charged right out in the open.

That was why the AT-STs were a blessing for the troopers. Their heavier laser cannons and protective armor took away the advantage that the covenant soldiers had. Grunts that remained in groups like they were ordered to were obliterated as the scout walkers launched concussion grenades. The explosions that ensured were enough to blast the smaller aliens into scorched limbs. Scared Grunts that tried to flee were trampled by the feet of the walkers. More than one Grunt's gas tank was hit by a laser bolt which caused more explosions and disarray in their ranks.

Even the Elites had to take cover from the walkers but they were more effective in their counter attacks. The few soldiers that carried fuel rod guns made sure to prioritize the walking vehicles that they had never encountered before. Green radioactive blobs flew through the hazy air and melted the walkers' armor away before igniting the fuel. Those that carried these heavy weapons soon found themselves being sniped by the multiple scout troopers in the vicinity.

A lone storm trooper squad ran back over one of the dirt hills in fear as two enormous aliens roared in anger. The other troopers at the base of the small hill stopped in their tracks as the armored alien tanks marched with thunderous footsteps. The Hunters gave another roar as they charged up their assault cannons. Two whole storm trooper squads were incinerated by the blasts of the Hunters' assault cannons that spat out radioactive beams of green light. Screams of agony filled the battlefield as the Hunters continued their onslaught.

"Take those things down!" An officer ordered firmly as he pointed at the two hulking aliens.

Troopers passed the officer and three AT-MPs followed from behind. The two Hunters saw the new prey coming towards them and unleashed roars of anger. The troopers took cover before blasting the Hunters with everything they had in their arsenal. With their immense strength at their disposal the Hunters raised their shields to block the laser bolts. A thermal detonator landed between the two and damaged their armor. Angered by the wounds they received they lined up their cannons once more and blew away a handful of troopers.

Suddenly a duo of missiles along with rapid laser fire slammed into one of the Hunters. The missiles tore away the armor plating and the continuous laser fire punched holes in the worm colony that made up the ferocious beast. Orange blood was splattered on every piece of armor as the covenant soldier died before collapsing in the dirt. The imperials cheered but fear was making their hearts beat faster when the remaining Hunter went berserk at the death of its bond brother. The large creature howled in frenzied fury as it attacked anything on sight.

A pair of Elites that were gunning down storm troopers suddenly found themselves being squashed by the rampaging Hunter. Storm troopers tried surrounding it but they were thrown away as the Hunter ran around with unleashed anger in its actions. The three AT-MPs fired their missiles again but the Hunter was already upon one of the walkers. It swung its shield at an AT-MP and actually cut off one of the walker's legs. It fell as it couldn't support its weight anymore and was caved in by the foot of the berserk Hunter. It roared one more time before succumbing to the combined firepower from the AT-MPs and troopers.

With the Covenant's flank all but collapsing as the troopers overwhelmed them they brought in their heavy armor to save their position. Three Wraiths hovered towards the advancing imperial lines as they unleashed mortar strikes of plasma shells. The storm troopers found themselves being blown away by the plasma barrage and once the plasma turrets joined in they were brutally slaughtered. More than one AT-ST was destroyed by the covenant tanks. The Elites were making their last stand to hold the line and it showed as they brought out all available vehicles.

A trio of Banshees soared in the air as they barraged the imperials as well. Troopers cried out as fuel rod bombs rained down from above. The AT-STs stopped in their tracks as the small missile pods at the sides of their heads aimed upwards at the sky. Targeting computers tracked down the Banshees as the flying death machines continued their assault. A couple of rockets were launched upon the flying menace and not long after the covenant air units fell down in flames.

The Wraiths were the imperial officers' biggest concern though. The Wraith tanks were devastating to their forces. Shell after shell kept falling and more troopers found their end as they kept on advancing. Luckily the two AT-ATs were very much functional and finally in range. The covenant soldiers quickly lost their advantage as the heavy laser cannons of the walkers opened fire on the Wraiths. Their powerful laser bolts were strong enough to break through the armor of the tanks and ignite them. To make things worse for them the intimidating sight of the AT-AT walkers was enough to send the Grunts panicking which ultimately led to the collapse of the covenant formations. The Jackals tried to save themselves and the Elites tried to bring order to their lines.

The playing field was once again changed though when the UNSC forces that held back made a move. Warthogs rode over the hills crushing anything beneath them; be it Covenant or imperial. With the third player making a move both imperial and covenant forces had to shift attention to protect themselves.

The ISB operative and his cohorts didn't meddle with the fight though. As the battle raged on they used the distraction to make a path towards their true objective; the engine deck of the UNSC _Infinity_.

As the troopers rushed by to the front, the elite soldiers arrived at the outside of the engine deck only to find the maintenance doors completely sealed shut.

"Open these doors." The operative ordered and pointed his blaster at it.

Two regular troopers strode forward and began applying explosives to breach the door. Once they were done the door was almost entirely covered by explosive charges with enough firepower to blow a hole in an AT-AT. The two troopers pulled out the detonator from a pouch and pressed on the device. A loud fiery blast occurred as they did so and after the smoke cleared a hole was punched through the doors.

"Forward men!" The trooper sergeant in command ordered as he and his squads rushed inside.

Axis opted to stay behind and let the troopers soften up any resistance inside as he waited. Minutes passed by before he gave the sign to move in. The nova troopers took point as they went in.

The engine deck was impressive, a fact that the operative had to admit to, but ultimately irrelevant. Blasterfire and gunfire sounded up ahead and without any delay he marched forward.

"Keep them away!" A marine shouted over the sound of the battle.

The marine soldiers were adamant in their resistance. They refused to yield and the storm troopers were feeling the pressure of the two automated turrets that stuck out of the walls. Fires were raging on in the engineering deck as smoke filled the air. Luckily for the troopers their filters in their helmets saved them from possible choking on the fumes. Some marines were not so lucky as a couple coughed when the black smoke filled their lungs.

"EMP grenades out!" A trooper grenadier yelled before aiming his modified grenade launcher.

A trio of EMP grenades, known as droid poppers during the clone wars, landed close to the turrets that spat out bullet after bullet at the imperial forces. After the clone wars the production of EMP grenades met a decline as interest in the type of grenades lowered substantially. That being said the empire that rose out of the ashes of a declining republic had a large stockpile of the droid poppers and therefore they were stored away. When the war with the UNSC began and it became obvious that the EMP grenades affected their tech the imperials distributed them again for the troops. The grenades went off as a trio of pulses of electromagnetic emissions washed over the marines and their equipment. The turrets on the wall sputtered and fell silent, their circuits damaged and nonresponsive.

"Covering fire, go!" A heavy trooper shouted to his fellow troopers as he spun around the corner with a rotary blaster firing.

With the temporarily stunned marines they all charged forward. Squads of storm troopers wildly dashed forward as they tried to overwhelm the marines recklessly. Their tactic did scare a couple of marines but the others had fought the Covenant before and were used to overwhelming numbers. They picked a target and eliminated it before switching to the next one.

As the slaughter continued on, no one saw the operative slip away with his cohorts as they cut through a sealed maintenance tunnel. He turned around and motioned for the navy commandos to go ahead.

His emotionless gaze then turned to the reinforcements of his own unit. "Your orders are clear. Spread out all over this deck and kill anything that isn't imperial. Remain hidden for a long period of time and if you're discovered then dispose of those that found you. Do not contact anyone else to keep radio silence."

"Affirmative." Came the unanimous reply of the group as their electronic voices spoke in sync.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Outer hull**

Chief sprinted as fast as he could leaving the smoking Mantis behind him. His objective was in clear sight; the MAC controls. Del Rio told him that they were unable to fire remotely so he would have to do it manually.

The burning wreckage of a Phantom dropship blocked his path but he barged through the broken hatches of the dropship and simply barreled his way through the broken vehicle. More aerial vehicles were being torn apart by the ship's reactivated AA guns and missile batteries. Banshees and TIE fighters stood no chance against the powerful weapons installed on the warship and were forced to retreat unless they wanted a quick death. Some of the covenant frigates were already burning and the few ships that the empire had were already retreating as were their ground forces.

"Come on Chief hurry!" Cortana urged him on.

Chief jumped high in the air to shorten the distance and finally arrived at the terminal. A small interface was glowing and the activation command was waiting for him. He didn't delay as he immediately pressed on the interface. The screen flashed green and the large MAC gun in front of it began to move as it came online.

"That's it! MAC controls restored." Cortana spoke up soon after on the comms.

Del Rio quickly took action. "Forward MAC batteries, get that damn orb away from my ship. All cannons. Fire at will."

The numerous cannons shook the ship's hull as they fired away. MAC ammunition crashed into the Forerunner satellite as did the missiles that the ship's weapons launched. Explosions enveloped the satellite and the red shield that covered it began glowing as it held strong against the attacking force. The covenant frigates finally broke off and turned tail as the Didact's ship rose high up in the air before flying away in retreat. Cheering broke out over the comms as the Covenant and Prometheans were in full retreat.

"It worked. The Didact's leaving." Cortana confirmed as the orb finally disappeared from their sight.

"Del Rio to all hands, we are still condition red. Imperial forces are still occupying the engineering deck. All available units in the area are to sweep the deck. I want marines in there now!" Del Rio ordered over the comm chatter.

"There are more?" Cortana exclaimed in frustration.

"We'll deal with them." Chief tried to calm her down as he moved back inside.

"NO MATTER HOW MANY, THEY STILL KEEP COMING! IT'S HOPELESS!" Cortana's rampant side screamed in pure anger and frustration.

"Cortana." Chief pressed and stopped walking.

"I'm sorry Chief." She said quietly in defeat. "I try to stop them but it isn't working."

"We'll get back to earth and fix you. Now let's go to the engines so we have a chance of returning." Chief soothed.

He walked through one of the doors and broke out in a sprint back to the hangar bay. It was the closest place to the engineering deck and he was sure they'd find a way there. He passed the corpses of the covenant and imperial soldiers alike in his hurry.

"We'll see Chief. We'll see." Cortana replied quietly.

A squad of marines were in the hangar and at the door that led to the engineering deck upon his arrival. They were armed and full with tension. The squad leader noticed him approaching and stood at attention.

"Master Chief, it's good to have you here. Thanks for ridding us of those covenant and imperial bastards. I'd buy you a drink but we still have some resistance in there." The sergeant greeted in a Canadian accent.

"Any idea on how many?" Chief asked as he accepted the shotgun a marine offered him.

"Their initial assault caused many casualties on their side. Damned bastards overwhelmed us with their numbers but we took down a lot of them. Mostly just regular storm troopers that are holed up in there I think. Our lieutenant went in with the other squads. We're just guarding this exit." The man answered and ended with an indifferent shrug.

"Um sarge I just lost contact with squad five six." One of the marines spoke up.

The sergeant frowned and activated his own communicator. "This is sergeant Niko Defleur to all squads, report your status."

"This is squad five two, nothing yet."

"Squad five four, same as five two."

"Squad five seven here, we encountered storm troopers but dealt with them. We've sent two of our men back to the entrance. They sustained some burn wounds. We're linking up with squad five one."

"Lieutenant Martinez here, we're holding our position and are waiting for squad five seven."

"This is squad five eight, we encountered some dead engineers and marines on our way in. They seem to have taken out some storm troopers but they must have been beaten in the end. It was strange though, some of them were cut open."

Then the hail of comms stopped.

The sergeant frowned and said, "Squads five three, five five, five nine do you copy?"

No one answered on the comms. The sergeant tried again but the squads didn't respond which meant that they'd probably been killed.

"Security systems are still coming back online. I can't access the cameras in there." Cortana spoke up with worry.

Suddenly the comms came back to life and a terrified marine yelled, "This is squad five two! We're surrounded!"

"What are these things?!" Another marine spoke up in the background as gunfire erupted.

"Get them off me! Get them- aagh!" Someone screamed before being cut off.

The gunfire went on for a full second before the transmission was terminated, the marine with the communicator probably dead. The marine squad at the exit shuffled slightly in worry and uncertainty as they had heard what happened. Chief remained calm and immediately went for his own comm.

"This is Spartan-117 to captain Del Rio." He spoke up over the whispering of the squad.

"This is the captain. Are those storm troopers dealt with?" The captain answered in clear annoyance at the prospect that there were still enemies onboard.

"Negative sir. Whatever is in the engineering deck is not like the storm troopers. Requesting immediate backup." Chief said.

"Fine, I'm sending the IVs and Palmer down there. Get the job done as soon as possible Master Chief. We can't depart without that deck secured." Del Rio replied in frustration.

"Yes sir." Chief answered before deactivating his comm. "I'm going in. Don't let anyone out unless they're UNSC."

The sergeant wordlessly nodded. The man was still shocked by what happened to five two. Chief opened the blast door and went in with a fully loaded shotgun and assault rifle along with a few grenades that he stockpiled.

He turned on the flashlights on his helmet and kept the shotgun ready. The lights were still off and only the red dull emergency lights were working. He stepped forward carefully as he checked every crook and cranny of the hallway. Pipelines and machinery dotted the walls as he made his way deeper into the engineering deck. He came across an intersection and found storm troopers on the ground. They were all dead of course, having long since bled out. There was the occasional marine or engineer but most corpses were imperials.

Chief was about to move on but one particular engineer caught his attention. The woman was slumped against a tube and blood was splattered all over her chest. He kneeled in front of the corpse while observing it suspiciously. Imperial weaponry normally cauterized wounds but this engineer had a large cut that ran across her throat and left shoulder blade. It was a deep wound and had almost cut off her entire head.

"This is strange. She was cut open but none of these troopers have any weapon on them that could have caused it." Cortana gave her own observation.

"Indeed." Chief said and contacted Palmer. "Lieutenant, there is something down here that cuts open its foes. I advise extreme caution."

"Copy that Chief. Me and the fours have come across a similar thing. A marine squad that was torn apart. Not even the Elites are this brutal." The Spartan officer answered feeling disturbed as well.

Chief suddenly grabbed his weapon and aimed at one of the corridors when he heard a faint noise. The corridor was completely empty but his augmented hearing picked up the sound from tiny feet. He slowly got up and entered the corridor with measured steps. The sounds were getting louder and they echoed throughout the pipelines. Chief frowned wile checking his motion tracker. It blinked but according to it there were more than a dozen contacts.

"Something is definitely wrong here." Cortana remarked and checked their radar. "I'm picking up movement in front, above and below us."

Chief came to a halt and looked up to see a ventilation shaft. The sound was getting louder and closer by the moment. When it became incredible loud compared to before he aimed his shotgun at the shaft and fired. The ventilation shaft was torn open and a tiny machine fell out of it. It screeched an electronic pitch and tried crawling towards him.

"What is that?" Chief asked as he observed the machine.

It was smaller than a human and looked like a spider. It had four legs with sharp tips and the main body was made out of metal as well save for the yellow eye and the yellow glowing top. It crawled towards him but two of its legs were now partially torn off.

"It's not Promethean or Covenant which means some sort of imperial robot." Cortana answered in fascination.

"You said there were more." Chief spoke up and squashed the small droid.

As if on cue the sound of tiny feet became louder and around the corner a dozen of the droids appeared. Chief half-heartedly listened to what Cortana said as he brought up his shotgun and fired. Shot after shot tore the swarm of droids apart but just like the Flood they kept on coming. Their yellow light eerily glowed in the darkness and when a few came too close he had to resort to using the shotgun as a bat to fight them off. When the last one was reduced to scrap he inspected his weapon and found out that one of the little droids had torn apart the loading chamber.

"Are we clear?" Chief asked and threw the now useless gun away.

"Yes but I'm picking up the comm signal of squad five one up ahead. They're not responding to my hails Chief." Cortana answered.

Chief continued on carefully and listened closely to any sign of the small spider droids. As he did so he observed the marks of battle on the walls. Blood was splattered all over them and the occasional engineer or marine that they found was brutally murdered. Their limbs were either torn off or cut open. It truly was a morbid sight. The pure brutality reminded him of the Brutes but even then the way they were cut open was nothing like the Brutes. At least they crushed you quickly, these machines seemed to be specifically designed to create antagonizing pain. It truly was a prospect that inspired terror.

After a few minutes of walking through the dark hallways he heard gunfire. Without waiting for Cortana to say anything he was already sprinting towards the source of the gunfire. He barged through a partially closed door and found the marines in disarray.

Only four marines remained with the rest of them being dead and laying on the floor. The marines were firing blindly around them and almost hit Chief who dodged in time. The marine responsible immediately seized fire and hope sparked in him at the sight of the Master Chief. He reached out and opened his mouth but as soon as he did a masked man with a skull for a face appeared behind him. The marine didn't even get the chance to utter a word before the man, or droid, sunk his long, sharp metal talons in his neck. The marine went limp as he choked on his own blood before dropping onto the dirty floor.

Chief immediately raised his assault rifle and fired but the creature cloaked itself and disappeared. He checked his motion tracker and saw several dots but couldn't find the assailant. By now the other marines flocked to him since their CO was dead as well. More of the spider droids and occasional appearing masked man arrived and screeched electronic war cries.

For several minutes Chief fended off the droids while protecting the marines as best as he could. Nevertheless so another one of the masked assassins appeared in front of a startled marine who panicked in repsonse. The assassin was fast and with a swift strike he cut the marine's chest open. Chief reacted and filled the assassin's masked skull with bullets before it went down.

"Help is on the way Chief!" Palmer suddenly spoke up over the comms as she and three other Spartan IVs barged in followed by the remaining marines.

The spider droids their overwhelming numbers soon didn't matter anymore as they were systematically eliminated by the precise gunfire of the Spartans. The masked men screeched at them and went in without any fear or pain, as if they were not capable of feeling so. They charged in with talons ready to pierce through even the sturdiest armor and caused casualties among the marines.

Palmer grimaced as one of them jumped on her back and pulled its arm back to deliver a blow to her neck. She quickly dashed backwards into the wall dealing damage to the terrorizing assassin. The impact was strong enough to make him lose his grip on her allowing Palmer to throw him over her shoulder onto the ground. He screeched at her and his blank eye visors stared at her with murderous intent. Palmer snarled behind her helmet and stomped her boot on his head reducing it to a mess of organic tissue and machinery.

The Spartans performed admirably but the marines didn't have their reflexes so they were no match for the inhuman agility that the assassins had. More blood coated the walls as their onslaught was relentless. Chief and Palmer stood side by side as they downed more of the cloaking imperial terror units. After a grueling experience the last droid was crushed and the last assassin was terminated.

Palmer cursed at their losses with almost all marines dead but at least the Spartans got out alive. She walked up to a crouching Chief who was inspecting one of the assassins. Palmer actually winced at their appearance. The limbs were artificial and implants dotted what was left of the human part. Blood dripped down from the talons and the mask was partially cracked revealing intertwined metal and flesh.

"We've never seen these things before in our past engagements with the empire. Whoever came up with these things is sick." Palmer spoke up at last breaking the silence.

"They utilize stealth like the SpecOps Elites but are faster, more agile." Chief gave his professional opinion. "Their appearance and abilities are meant to not only kill but terrorize their victims. Those marines and engineers didn't stand a chance."

"I'm still picking up movement up ahead. Security systems are coming back online but these… terror units are gathered at the main engineering room." Cortana said as she accessed the ship's systems.

"We need to clear the place out and fast. The captain is apprehensive of staying grounded for much longer." Palmer told them.

"Which way?" Chief simply asked as he stood up.

"It's past that wall but we'll take the next corridor-"

"Hold on I'm picking up movement!" Cortana yelled in alarm.

The Spartans and the few marines tensed as they sprang into action. They all aimed their weapons and stayed close to each other. Seconds passed until suddenly _something_ barged into the wall on the opposite side. They all took a step back as whatever was on the other side continued banging on the wall. The metal groaned and started to bend or twist as it continued. Then for a full three seconds it stopped until the wall gave in as a machine even larger than Chief barged through it.

It was broad and hunched forward on clawed feet and huge spiked arms. Its face was like that of the assassins only this time it had spiky mandibles of sorts and whereas the assassins had blank visors as eyes the thing had bright green optics. The sickly green light continued upwards in its massive frame. With tremendous strength it pushed the large slabs of metal that were in its way into the walls.

And then it roared. It wasn't the whiny screech of a spider droid or the murderous one from the assassins. This one was the electronic roar of an angry beast.

Chief and Palmer were the first to open fire followed by the fours and marines. The bullets harmlessly bounced off its sturdy armor as it protected its head with its huge arms before charging the human group. They all dove or rolled away but two marines were hit by the droid and broke their necks as it slammed into them like a bus. It raised its spiked arms and trashed around wildly killing another marine as she was flung into the ceiling before dropping down on the hard floor.

One of the fours fired at its leg joint with his DMR but all it did was divert its attention to him. It thrusted its arm forward and almost got the Spartan but when he dodged at the last moment it hit the wall instead. The arm was removed and revealed a large hole in the wall and a ruptured tube.

To make things worse more spider droids were crawling through the hole it created and went after the marines and Spartans. The last marine to have survived found himself trapped as four of the droids clung onto him before cutting him apart with their razor sharp feet. Palmer directed her anger to the smaller droids as she kicked and shot them to pieces.

Chief ducked again as the droid lunged at him. He fired at its head but the droid leaned away to protect itself. One of the fours unleashed his SAW upon the thing and started to actually damage it which caused the droid to roar at him. It lunged forward like a tiger as it actually jumped into the air before coming down again up close to the Spartan IV. He barrel rolled away but the droid stabbed its left claw in his leg and successfully pinned him to the ground. The Spartan cried out in pain as his leg was crushed by the claw but those screams were soon fueled by agony as it created lightening from its claw.

Palmer snarled once more as the body of her fellow Spartan IV went rigid before becoming limp. The armor was smoking from the high intensity of the electricity and no doubt that the flesh underneath was burned to a crisp. She tossed one of her frag grenades at the droid for vengeance. The droid still had to remove its claw and was unable to get away as the grenade went off. It limped away with a damaged knee joint and the armor on its upper body was coming loose.

Chief went on the offensive and slammed his weight into the droid. It braced itself on its knees but, just like the Master Chief thought, the damage that it sustained to its joint was too much and the droid collapsed on the ground. Even then it swung at him but Chief expertly evaded and climbed on top of the terrorizing machine. It roared defiantly but failed to get the Spartan off of it. Chief punched through the loose metal plating and ripped out a handful of circuitry. Some cables were still connected but Chief grabbed the pistol on his hip and fired at the exposed machinery.

The imperial droid's roars became weaker and weaker until the green glow finally faded away. It collapsed completely and with its power source hit it was now nothing but scrapped machine parts. Chief got off the immobile droid and assessed the situation.

All marines were now dead and one Spartan was missing a limb and electrocuted to death; a hard loss to these imperial droids.

"Damn it. Those imperial scumbags are too weak to fight on their own so they have to make these death machines." One of the fours cursed as he kicked an inactive spider droid away.

"There isn't much to find in its processor but I did find out what they're called. The spiders are terror droids, the assassins are terror troopers and that _thing_ is a terror biodroid. But Chief, its objective was to protect the leader of sorts." Cortana spoke up quietly in respect for the fallen.

"What do you mean?" Palmer asked as she walked up next to the Master Chief.

At that moment another high-pitched electronic screech similar to the terror droids echoed throughout the engineering deck that came from the main room, only this one was louder and more intimidating.

"A terror walker." Cortana replied solemnly as they moved in.

* * *

 **So for those who don't know the terror droids, troopers, etc. they're from the force unleashed II game. I thought it would be interesting to have them crawl around in the Infinity. As for the next chapter, it's probably going to take a while again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Many thanks to Mandalore the Freedom for his OC, the Mandalorian** **Ijaat Kelborn, that he came up with. On that note, any OC that you would like to see in the story is welcome. I'll try to give your character some spotlight in the future chapters.**

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Engine deck**

The first thing that the Spartans noticed upon entering the spacious main engine room was that it was almost completely dark. The shadows that covered it in darkness were too thick which forced the augmented soldiers to activate their flashlights in their helmets. With their sight improved they saw death all around them. Corpses of imperials and the ship's crew absolutely littered the ground. Blood stained the floor and walls while more than one limb laid all alone in a corner. It truly was a horrifying and morbid sight, but the Spartans were used to it. After fighting in a war and seeing what it was like hardened them against such things.

Surprisingly not a single terror droid or trooper rushed out of the darkness to try and claim their lives. The room was silent, almost too much for it to be normal, as the machinery seemed to be inactive and the enemies hidden. Palmer and her Spartan IVs remained close to each other while Chief stayed on his own. He didn't need as much help as they did after all. They slowly strode through the main engine room with a single purpose; find and eliminate any target. That included the terror walker, the supposedly leader of the terror forces. They didn't know anything specific about it but if the other terror forces were any indication, such as the deadly biodroid, then it would be a very dangerous foe to fight.

Chief was ready for it though, assault rifle in hand and grenades on his belt, he had killed many with less. He stepped forward and by now he was in the middle of the room. While many others would have surges of fear he didn't. He remained calm and collected, completely devoid of emotions that would jeopardize his mission. His motion tracker wasn't picking anything up but he knew it was out there, watching them.

"My scans are picking up activity over at the end of the room. Nothing concrete but it's similar to the readings I got from those terror droids. Proceed with caution." Cortana spoke up. There were no outbursts or any other signs of rampancy. She was completely focused on helping her companion in getting the ship back in the air.

Chief and the fours followed her advice as they went forward with cautious steps. Not a single Spartan, II or IV, messed up like a marine could in this scenario. They were trained experts and special forces. No, they didn't make any mistake in their approach. Not a single blind spot that the enemy could use and a tight formation.

It was then that the terror walker made its appearance.

The Spartans had to admit it was one large mean machine that the imperials had designed. The thing was massive in size and took most of the space around it. It stood on four long legs with claws that were similar to the biodroid. The main body wasn't that big but not small either as the large head was placed on top with two weapons of sorts on the sides that looked like pincers but had barrels. There was one bright white light in the middle of its 'face' and a green orb beneath it that shone just as sickly as the biodroid from earlier.

With each step it shook the platform that it stood on and once completely turned around it locked its sight on the Spartans. There was no hesitation as it unleashed a terrifying wail that promised terror for its victims. However, it would not find its prey to be as easy as the unprepared engineers and marines. This time it would face humanity's super soldiers that have defended it since the first generation.

The large droid/walker hybrid lifted its weapons on its head slightly and aimed them at the group. Red energy began to charge up in those barrels which made the Spartans jump into action. They all dodged as they dove for the sides when the charging was complete and two red laser beams cut the platform where they had been standing in half.

"Open fire!" Palmer ordered her IVs as she fired the first shot.

Chief joined in as they barraged the walker with everything they had in store for it. The walker couldn't do much to protect itself but it was apparently not necessary as every bullet was stopped in its path by the powerful deflector shield that it was equipped with. It fired back with its lasers while being safe from any harm that they could do to it.

"It's shield is too strong for your weapons. You're going to need heavier weaponry or another way to disable it." Cortana told them over the comms as she ran diagnostics on the walker.

"Tell us when you find something." Chief answered as he gained the terror walker's attention.

The imperial war machine fired a beam in an upwards arc that cut the scaffold he was standing on in two while also damaging a pipeline. Chief evaded in time and threw one of his frag grenades at it. The explosive rolled beneath the walker which was ignored by the machine as it kept on focusing its lasers on the Master Chief. Not too long after the grenade went off but it did little against the deflector shields of the terror walker.

"Chief we need to take this thing down fast. I don't think the engine deck can sustain more damage than this." Palmer told the Spartan II over the comms as she fired her own weapon.

"First we need to take care of its shields. Do we know anything about imperial shielding?" Chief asked the lieutenant while running from the walker's attacks.

"They're tough but rare. The imperials mostly shield its troops with these big shield generators that simply create an entire dome over their forces or bases. They don't make them smaller except for a few like tanks but we've never seen it on a droid like this. We'll need heavy weapons or we won't get through which is why I called for backup." Palmer replied from her cover.

Her fellow Spartan IVs were trying to gain the walker's attention to lessen the pressure on Chief. It worked since the walker seemed to ignore Chief running from one spot to another and instead focused its lasers on the other targets that it saw. As hard as it tried it still failed to land a hit on the nimble augmented soldiers that were too fast for its weapons. The terror walker let out a screech, which hinted frustration much to the humans' surprise, and dug its sharp claws in the platform it stood on as two panels parted revealing missile tubes. The fours cursed in unison when the walker launched five missiles at their position. They got away in time but two terminals and one pipeline were obliterated by the walker's concussion missiles.

"Yeong with me! We're going to flank that SOB." Palmer growled as she ran across the engine room with her fellow Spartan IV. She was getting pissed off by the walker's durability and they would run out of ammo sooner or later. Not to mention that the engine room was getting demolished by the imperial machine.

"What's the plan ma'am?" Yeong asked eagerly as he crouched behind a panel along with his superior.

The terror walker was occupied with firing at the Master Chief again and had its back turned to them. It moved one of its long legs creating a painful screeching sound as its pincer scraped against the metal of the floor. The darkness parted as it fired its lasers for the umpteenth time, the thing seemingly running on power; unlimited power.

"We're gonna try hitting it from behind, maybe its shields are weaker there. On the count of three we unload our entire clip in that thing's metal ass. Understood?" Palmer instructed quickly while tightening the grip on her rifle in anticipation.

Yeong showed his own weapon and gave an excited thumbs up in reply. "Ready whenever you are."

Palmer nodded at the Spartan IV. "One. Two. Three!"

They got up in sync and unleashed a barrage of gunfire as they shot the rear of the terror walker. It certainly felt what they were doing as it screeched lowly and began turning around. Just before it completely turned to meet them head on they could see the shield shimmering for a second. They might not have taken down the shields yet but it certainly felt the pressure as it strained under the continuous gunfire.

The walker didn't fire its weapons though and instead seemed to prepare itself for something. Palmer's eyes widened as she realized what it was about to do.

"Yeong move your ass now!" She yelled atop of her lungs as she sprinted away.

She was just in time as the walker charged forward with deceptive speed as its entire frame almost landed on them. The sharp durasteel pincers pierced the floor and another console that gave readings of the engines was smashed by the walker's body. Palmer could feel her heart going overdrive as its green and white orbs were focused on her and Yeong.

"Chikushō!" Yeong cursed in his own native language as it began moving towards them like a predator does with prey.

The terror walker was slowed by its massive size but its long legs gave the advantage to be able to cross long distances. It was right behind them and charged up its dual lasers. Even while the other Spartans present opened fire to force it back, the terror walker stayed on target. Just as the two Spartans IVs were about to get away it fired once more. Palmer narrowly evaded the beams of red energy and could feel the intense heat warm her up just from being close to it. The red beams continued in an upward arc and cut through the wall in front of her.

Palmer was relieved that she had dodged it but a scream to her side crushed the hope of her comrade having the same fate. Her head turned around and what she saw made her hate the walker, and more importantly the mad imperial scientists who had designed it, even more. Yeong was alive, that was at least something, but his entire left arm was completely cut off by one of the lasers. His nerves were literally on fire from the intense heat. Luckily the wound was cauterized so Yeong wouldn't bleed to death but he would need treatment and fast.

"Lieutenant, get your man out of there." Chief spoke to her over the comms. Palmer didn't care about the lower ranked soldier giving an order and did as told.

The terror walker was about to go forward again to finish the job while killing Palmer as well but it stumbled and stopped in its tracks. It turned around slightly for its optical sensors to find out what was holding it back. With his tremendous strength the master Chief had actually managed to tear off a part of the platform's railing and bended it over the walker's leg. It could probably free its leg with ease but it had distracted the machine long enough for Palmer to get her fellow Spartan out of the danger zone and the walker's reach.

Chief dashed to the right to dodge a strike from the walker's leg as it tried to pierce him with its limb. The older generation Spartan reached for his belt and unclipped a plasma grenade he had taken from a Grunt's corpse an hour ago. He primed the grenade and threw it at the backside of the walker. It was unable to do anything about the explosive and shuddered once the grenade went off. Blue fire washed over its frame and once again the shields flickered on and off.

It screeched at him seemingly in anger and went after him.

"Chief try to get it in front of that wall!" Cortana instructed abruptly as she marked the spot.

Chief, who was sprinting the other way, quickly changed his course making the walker do the same thing. The Master Chief parkoured through the room over stairs and railing while the terror walker followed in a straight line since its long legs allowed it to. Chief had to dodge the occasional missile or a duo of red laser beams but finally stopped at the marked spot. The walker screeched and charged him with the intent to stop him once and for all.

Yet it failed in its task as the Spartan II went in spartan time. Everything became slower to him like the imperial death machine. He saw how the walker jumped at him with its front pincers stretched out in an attempt to pierce his armor and squash beneath its weight. He used his reflexes and agility to the maximum of his abilities and dodged the terror walker as he ducked under the machine before rolling away. He came to a halt and saw the walker slam into the wall. The imperial war machine screeched as it freed itself and turned around with missile pods open.

However it didn't get the chance to fire as a rocket slammed into its shielded frame. It was followed by another one that finally broke its shield. The blue light of its protection faded away but it remained standing tall, ready to strike. It never moved more than an inch as something else slammed into its head. The armor was torn apart followed by the circuitry and the power core. The imperial machine's lights shone brighter for a second before the powerful power source exploded in a large orange and green fireball. The explosion was so bright that it illuminated the entire room. When it was done only the legs remained a small pieces of metal.

Palmer sighed as she let the railgun hang at her side. The marines who had brought the heavy weapons, like her railgun and the rocket launchers, spread out to make sure the area was clear. The room was almost in shambles and once they docked with a repair station the engineers would have much work to do to get it all fixed up. But that didn't matter now, a wrecked room was the least of their worries.

"Let's go Chief. The captain will want a report on what happened." Palmer told the Spartan II who just walked up to her with an appreciative nod.

Together they left the devastation behind and left the engineering deck that was full with death and corpses of both man and machine.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Imperial-class star destroyer** _ **Starlight**_

 **Command bridge**

Vice-admiral Raduss felt a mix of emotions as he stood at the viewport of the bridge while gazing at the surface of the deadly planet of Requiem.

He felt worry for his battlegroup since they were effectively stranded on the ancient alien planet. The gravity well they detected was keeping their ships close to the ground which meant that unless they destroyed or deactivated it there would be no escape. That meant that they were vulnerable to UNSC, Covenant and Promethean forces. They would need to find a solution and fast or face the possibility of being eliminated. It was unlikely since he still had many troops and ships left but it was simply too dangerous.

He felt pride at the fact that even with such an unlikely scenario happening his men remained calm and disciplined. They were still loyal to him even while stranded which meant no mutiny like a few officers would stage to gain the leadership. Many of the officers were backstabbers; looking for glory and promotions. Blaming him for their predicament would be a way to rise through the ranks once he was killed off. Even with the numerous attacks from the Covenant they stood firm and fended off any assault.

"Vice-admiral Raduss, how is the construction of the base going?"

Raduss had to suppress a grimace as he heard that voice. He turned around and saw the approaching ISB agent that he was forced to work with. Personally he disliked the attitude of the man; he saw everyone around him as disposable. Raduss knew that sacrifices needed to be made but Axis was a man that had no qualms with it. In fact he sacrificed soldiers on a regular basis.

"Progress is coming along quite nicely. The prefab buildings have been placed already and construction droids are working hard. From the last report I can conclude that work will be done within six hours. Anything else will be purely improvements or finishing touches." Raduss responded while standing as professional as possible.

The base that he talked about was a base of operations that they were establishing on Requiem. As imperial protocol dictated they were to establish one for future use and gaining a foothold on a strategic planet. Lord Vader had been precise in his orders to find and claim anything of Forerunner origin. The base was placed close to a set of mountains for natural cover and then there was the jungle. It was mostly shaped like a square or at least close to it. There were three armories, multiple barracks, an airfield, a command center, multiple power and shield generators along with other buildings that served a purpose for the imperials who intended to stay on the planet. Walls were being placed along with numerous defenses such as XX-10 turbolaser towers, both anti-infantry and anti-air laser turrets, E-Web emplacements, mines, foxholes and finally one small ion cannon. It took every last resource of what was left of the fleet but luckily all the Acclamators and carriers survived the battle with the Storm Covenant.

"That is good to hear. What of the gravity well our sensors picked up?" Axis further asked.

Raduss swallowed the rebuke that he wanted to tell Axis he came up with for acting as if the agent was superior to him and simply answered the question. "I have an assault force ready to clear a path towards the target. Scans indicate that the gravity well is protected by powerful anti-air cannons. Any attack with our star destroyers would be a disaster and cripple the fleet."

"Surely a few ships wouldn't matter." Axis scoffed as if it was no problem.

Raduss fumed at the man's words but stayed calm. It would be better to respond with logic rather than threats or harsh words.

"We already sustained casualties in our engagement with the Covenant and when we were pulled into the planet. My engineers are still repairing damage done to us by both events. A ground force would be able to carve a path towards those cannons and should be able to destroy them with our AT-AT and SPHA walkers." The vice-admiral explained slowly.

The ISB agent shot him an annoyed look but relented. "Very well then. Just make sure that we will be able to send some of our vessels back to imperial command to inform them of our find."

The vice-admiral inwardly scoffed at the agent's words. No doubt that he would take all credit for any finds. Luckily he wouldn't have to hear of any other arrogant bantha poodoo from the ISB agent, an officer was making her way towards the duo with a datapad in hand. Relieved by the arrival of the officer, which meant that he wouldn't have to listen to the agent anymore, he turned to face her.

"Anything to report Lieutenant?" He asked eagerly.

"Yes sir. I have a status update on the star destroyers. Would you like to hear it?" She replied.

"Of course lieutenant. Apologies agent Axis but I will be busy with the fleet for now." Raduss lied as he dreaded having to spend more time with the insufferable buffoon.

"Very well, I will be in my quarters. I too have important business to attend to." Axis said arrogantly as he made his way past the two. He gave the lieutenant a scrutinizing and demeaning look before leaving.

Once the agent was gone Raduss let out a sigh of relief. "One more minute with that man and I would have thrown him out of an airlock. His arrogance is maddening and insufferable."

"He has been quite unpleasant to the crew as well." The officer at his side remarked timidly. Raduss waved off her reluctance to speak.

"You can say your opinion if you want lieutenant Lexi. Any insult that you could come up with would pale compared to mine. But enough about him, you had a report for me." Raduss said and gestured to the datapad.

The lieutenant nodded and began scrolling down the datapad's contents as she spoke. "At the moment we have four Imperial-class star destroyers, five Venators, eight Victories, ten Acclamators, eleven Arquitens-class light cruisers and twenty Gozanti-class cruisers. All other vessels are beyond repair. With all that has happened we lost sixty-two percent of our fleet including our Interdictors."

"That is most unfortunate. Not only have we lost more than half our strength but all those lives gone as well." Raduss spoke up solemnly. "Make sure to send troops to clear the wreckages of our ships. All data is to be purged and any supplies left are to be retrieved. Once the wreckages are stripped of anything useful we will send in the demolitions teams to make sure anything that could compromise us is destroyed."

"Yes sir, there is also something else I have to report. Our troopers were successful in retrieving the data inside a covenant cruiser. Most of the ship's computers were destroyed in the crash and a few survivors fought against us. Casualties are not high but we did lose quite a few troopers. Our engineers are already busy with breaking the encryption on what we retrieved." The officer further said as she looked at the datapad.

Raduss nodded in approval. "Tell the men that they did well. They deserve some rest. Anything else?"

"No sir. That is all."

"In that case I want you to coordinate with the star destroyers' captains to form a defensive formation. All you need to know is on this code cylinder." Raduss instructed.

He pulled out a small grey cylinder out of his pocket and extended his hand to the lieutenant. She took it and gave a salute before leaving towards the comm station. Raduss turned his gaze to the vast expanse of the planet's surface and began thinking of his next move.

The operation that agent Axis had carried out was successful even if not all of the desired goals were achieved. They didn't succeed in capturing or disabling the ship, although those objectives were farfetched. He had known that from the beginning, but Axis had been adamant about it in all of his arrogance. They lost many troopers and walkers in that fight, but it was a relief to see that they could still go head to head with both the UNSC and the Covenant. Those Forerunner droids were a problem but the imperial battlegroup was equipped with war droids as well.

And of course what they did retrieve from the UNSC was enough to mark the operation as a success.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Bridge**

"What I want to know, people, is: Where the hell did those things come from?"

Captain Del Rio was visibly agitated and pointed at the hologram of a Promethean knight. Chief stood at the holotable along with Palmer and Lasky who had been retrieved by the Pelicans.

Cortana spoke up with her own theory, "It's possible that they're native to Requiem... or whatever counts as native for a Forerunner AI."

"We've never seen this type of offensive reaction from any of the other installations." Del Rio scoffed as he paced around the table before coming to a halt.

"Other installations?" Chief who stood on the other side asked with some surprise.

Del Rio slightly rolled his eyes at the Spartan's question. "Mister Lasky."

Chief noticed that the captain didn't seem to be all too fond of him. The way he pushed the question to Lasky also showed that Del Rio thought it was below him to give a proper answer.

Luckily for Chief, Lasky had no qualm with giving the Spartan II an answer to his inquiry.

"Infinity's mission has been to locate the remaining Halo rings, and establish permanent bases to study them for decommission. We've got locations up-and-running around Installations 5 and 3, but lately they've run into some setbacks." The ship's second-in-command explained and fell silent when he mentioned the setbacks.

"A science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact. This sensor data is all that was left." Del Rio finished and showed a set of Forerunner symbols.

"Interesting... These symbols are a derivation of the Forerunner glyph system." Cortana pointed out helpfully.

"And our geeks managed to pull out some coordinates out of it. At first we were thinking of sending only a small group to investigate. Before the current war began, the _Infinity_ was tasked with finding Forerunner installations. We had to stop because of the war but when ONI detected the imperials going this direction we were sent to investigate. You have three guesses as to what happened next." Del Rio said and ended by settling his gaze on the Master Chief.

Palmer walked up to her commanding officer with a datapad in her hands and said, "Sir, Gypsy Company is prepped and ready to roll, on your orders."

"Thank you Palmer." The captain replied and took the datapad as Palmer stepped back. "Mr. Lasky, you take point. I want boots on the ground in sixty."

"Captain?" Chief spoke up questioningly.

Del Rio glared at him, clearly being off-put by his questioning tone. "This is a first contact scenario, John-117. Priority is to free Infinity from Requiem's gravity well and file a threat assessment back at FLEETCOM."

"You mean we're leaving?" Cortana asked incredulously.

"Sir. Infinity drove the Didact back. He's vulnerable." Chief objected somewhat out of character. He was not one to question his superiors but what Del Rio was suggesting was ludicrous.

"And he's not the only one. You forget that we're not only dealing with the Covenant here Master Chief. The empire is on Requiem as well. They massacred almost half of my engineering staff and caused too much damage to the engineering deck. We can't take a beating from both of these enemies." Del Rio shot back and was now getting upset.

"Sir, with all due respect but perhaps he is right." Lasky spoke up even if somewhat timidly. "Besides, we can't allow the empire to have a presence on a Forerunner world. If they discovered Forerunner technology then they would outmatch us completely."

Del Rio fixed his glare on Lasky but stayed silent. It was only after a few seconds that he opened his mouth again.

"For now we will stick to the original plan. Gypsy company will destroy the gravity well as planned. I'll assemble a task force to remain on Requiem to fight the empire and Covenant." Del Rio said and with that he turned around to talk with another officer.

Cortana and Chief looked at each other in silence as they thought about their situation.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Unknown desert**

 **Pelican 298**

"Buckle up ladies and gentlemen. We're approaching our destination and are only three minutes out. Check your gear one more time before we jump into action." Master sergeant Marcus Stacker announced as he stepped into the troop bay of the Pelican transport.

The marines were all chatting with each other as they followed Stacker's advice. Mostly some banter to ease the nerves. Most of the crew, including the marines, were anxious and nervous about their stay on Requiem. It started with the planet eating them up, crashing on the surface followed by assaults from Forerunner AI, Storm Covenant and the Galactic Empire. When they finally got a breather they had lost many in the assault including almost half of the engineers onboard. The engineering deck was completely sealed in case more of the terror droids were hiding in the shadows. All in all they could improve the morale somewhat.

Stacker heard the comm ping and quickly activated it. Not a moment later the holographic image of their captain, Del Rio, flashed in front of them. The marines quieted down as Del Rio began his briefing.

"Master sergeant Stacker, you and your platoon will play a key role in this operation by keeping the majority of the enemy's attention away from the main assault force. You'll take four Warthogs and one Scorpion with you to succeed in this task. While commander Lasky advances towards the particle cannons command post you will attack the enemy. Scans indicate that the Covenant is dug in and that the imperials are sending an assault force of their own." Del Rio ordered while looking at Stacker the most.

"Sir, do we have any assessment of the terrain?" The veteran inquired as he held on to a safety rail.

"Negative. This is blowthrough op, recon would slow us down." Del Rio replied sternly. "Once the main assault force arrives at the command post you will retreat before being picked up by dropships. Hold out as long as you can. Del Rio out."

The hologram faded away and the marines glanced warily between each other.

"Sir, with all due respect but how are we going to distract the enemy if we don't even know where they are?" One of the marines addressed Stacker.

"Yeah is the captain serious about this?" Another one added.

Stacker was aware of their discomfort and spoke up loudly. "I know you're all questioning the captain's orders, believe me when I say that it have my doubts as well. But that doesn't matter and you know why? Because we are the marine corps! We fight and win our battles even if we don't have a map. I say we ask the covies and imps for directions with lots of bullets! Now are you going to mope around or create a huge distraction for the others and look badass doing it? We will fight, and we will kick ass! Am I right marines?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Stacker couldn't help but grin at the response. It was the same kind of thing Johnson would have done were he alive. Maybe just with a lot more gruesome swearing.

"Damn right I am." He chuckled.

The marines didn't have to wait long before the pilots announced their arrival. The hatch opened and one by one the marines exited the transport. The other pelicans were offloading their troops as well while the Warthogs and the Scorpion were being lowered to the ground. All of the squads gathered around and the drivers of the vehicles activated their engines. Stacker gave them all one more look to see if everything was in order before moving out.

The artificial sunlight shone down on the platoon as they navigated through the desert canyon. A few local animals that resembled lizards often peered at them in curiosity. They paid the humans little mind and stayed away from the human soldiers. That was fine for the humans because they were not eager to have one of the lizards attack them with those razor sharp teeth.

The rumbling sounds of the Warthogs and Scorpion bounced off the rock formations and seemed to echo all around them. The footsteps of the marines added to the chorus and they could only hope it didn't give away their position. Stacker was leading the platoon from the front checked the area thoroughly. An ambush was possible in an environment like this but knowing the Covenant they'd probably dig in and wait for their attackers.

"Anything on the scanners?" Stacker asked one of his specialists who was carrying the scanning equipment.

The young man looked up from the device and shook his head. "No sir. I think the terrain is somehow interfering with my equipment. Add all of those Forerunner signals and you're lucky if you even have a decent comm channel."

"Keep on looking." Stacker told him and strode towards sergeant Burney.

Burney was drinking from his canteen when his superior arrived. Burney was more tired than the others and for good reason. None of them had made a trip through a dangerous jungle and survived ambushes from both Covenant and Prometheans. Even so, Burney was one of the first to volunteer for this mission.

"What can I do for you Stacker?" The sergeant asked informally just as Stacker wanted it. Both of them fought together for quite some time now and they respected each other enough.

"How do those Prometheans ambush exactly? I don't want it happening to us in these canyons." Stacker inquired.

Burney's eyes narrowed and grimaced at the mention of the Forerunner AIs. "You can't really prevent it. Bastards teleport after all. One moment there is nothing around you and the next you have knights shooting at you. They do like to announce themselves though and when they teleport it's with bright flashes."

"I'll keep my eyes open then." Stacker replied and patted the man's shoulder.

Burney nodded in gratitude as he took one last swig of his canteen before putting it away. The two of them parted while the platoon kept on advancing. After a few minutes they still saw not a single enemy nor did they hear anything. The warm temperature was somewhat exhausting the marines as did the fact that they had to navigate through the uneven terrain. Yet even with the heat they marched on with no trouble.

Stacker was thinking about sending a few scouts when he felt a strange vibration. He held up a fist and halted. The squad leaders caught on and ordered their men to stop. The marines all stared confusedly at Stacker who seemed to be focusing on something. He turned around and pointed at two squads.

"You're with me. Sergeant Burney you will keep the men here until I give the order." Stacker said as he issued his orders.

Burney gave an affirmative response while the two marine squads joined Stacker. They followed their leader as he listened closely to something. They made their way towards the end of the canyon which wasn't that far before Stacker halted once more. He crouched and placed his head on the ground with a look of concentration. The marines were confused as to why he would do so.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It was soft but loud enough for Stacker to hear and feel. The soft noise that was carried by the wind and the rhythmic rumblings in the ground were easily recognizable.

Stacker's eyes widened proportionally and looked at the marines. "Everyone get down and hide now!"

They obeyed quickly enough and hid behind the rocks as fast as they could. They all looked questioningly at the master sergeant but all he did was gesture to them to be quiet.

The noise became louder and louder until everyone heard it. Stacker looked over the rock he was hiding behind and grimly confirmed his suspicions. Imperial walkers were making their way through the canyon along with troop transports and speeder bikes. The walkers had no problem with the terrain as they simply walked over small obstacles. The hovering transports also had less trouble with that and stayed close to the walkers. Most of the storm troopers were inside the transports but some sat atop them and the scout troopers were driving around on their speeder bikes.

Stacker noticed that it was a hefty amount of troops that the imperials had. He counted at least ten of the troop transports, eight AT-STs, four AT-DPs and finally two AT-ATs. Stacker was no fool, engaging the imperials head-on was suicide. They were outnumbered and outgunned, especially with those AT-ATs. If he really had no choice then he would have to ambush them; take out as many walkers and transports with heavy weapons, preferably from behind so the AT-ATs would be useless in the beginning.

"What are we going to do sir?" Someone asked him from behind.

"We're not going to fight them. Not now at least. I bet they're here for the gravity well just like us. Let them soften up the Covenant for us a little, then we'll strike from behind." Stacker replied quickly but quietly as to not alert the imperials of their position.

He ran back to his platoon without delay and informed the other officers of the plan. News spread along the platoon of what they were about to do and not a single marine made too much noise. Stealth was important now, the imperials had to be unaware of their presence.

Minutes passed by as the imperial convoy continued its journey through the canyons unaware of the marine platoon behind them. Stacker and his men had to pick up the pace somewhat but since the AT-ATs took their time it was unnecessary to jog the whole time. The one thing that was some assurance for the marines was that the empire wouldn't have any air support either with those guns online. Stacker could find some pleasure in that even if he still had to face not only the walkers but dozens of troopers.

But in the end it wasn't the empire but the Covenant he was after. All he had to do was create a distraction and do it fast.

"Sir, covenant signals up ahead." A marine at his side reported.

Stacker ordered his platoon to hold their position after some quick thinking. Together with a few others he climbed on one of the elevated plateaus of the canyon. He grabbed his binoculars and looked in front of the imperial convoy.

Multiple covenant defenses were littered all around the terrain. They had small walls, obstacles, watch towers and turrets. As if that wasn't enough, the Covenant had found it necessary to place a force field behind those defenses to block off the route towards the cannons. Grunts were stumbling around to get to their positions, Jackals were climbing inside their watch towers and the Elites roared war cries. A few Ghosts and two Wraiths were present as well to support the infantry.

Atop one of the plateaus stood an Elite field marshal brandishing an energy sword. The Elite was better armored and considering the symbols on it he was a decorated veteran. With a roar that echoed over the fields he rallied his men to fight. He pointed at the imperials with his sword and shouted something in his alien language.

The plasma turrets and guns opened fire at the imperials on the field marshal's command. Walkers were too much armored for it to have that much of an effect as were the troop transports. The scout troopers on their speeder bikes and the storm troopers atop the transports were less fortunate. A hefty amount of them perished in the initial barrage of plasma fire, storm troopers who were too late to jump off collapsed and the scout troopers died behind the wheel causing their bikes to ram something. One of the bikes spiraled out of control before running over a duo of Grunts.

Angered by their losses, the imperial walkers returned fire with their blaster cannons. The AT-STs aimed for the forward lines and targeted the gun emplacements. Grunts squeaked and flailed their arms around as the red laser bolts hit their positions. Whenever a laser bolt struck its target, the plasma turret would blow up and kill anyone standing too close. The AT-DPs were providing cover fire for the troop transports that spread out before they unleashed squads of storm troopers. They were ready for a fight as they dropped behind cover and returned fire.

"This will be quite the spectacle." Sergeant Burney remarked with a grin as he pulled a cigar out of his pockets.

Stacker rolled his eyes in response but gave him a lighter while watching the battle in front of him.

By now the imperials had proper positions and were pushing forward. The scout walkers led the way as they blasted away at the fortified positions of the covenant soldiers. Elites retaliated by killing any trooper that came in view, carbines and rifles spat out bolt after bolt of plasma. Storm troopers collapsed with scorched armor and flesh when the alien warriors' aim was true. The troopers gained ground but paid heavily for it if the corpses that littered the ground were any indication.

The walkers were a different story though. They were more effective against the covenant troops and it showed as the walkers massacred the forward line of defenders. The plasma bolts of the Grunts their pistols was like a bug bite to them, nothing more but an annoyance. Grunts fled in panic when the imperials reached them and either blasted them to bits or crushed them beneath their feet. Two walkers were destroyed by heavier weaponry but the damage had been done. Not even their Elite commanders were enough to keep the Grunts in line.

Imperial storm troopers overwhelmed the first line of defense but the Jackal snipers were lashing out at them in revenge. Beams of energy pierced the white plastoid armor while ending the lives of men and women that wore it. Officers in their olive green armor shouted orders to their subordinates to counter the snipers. Scout troopers strode forward and took up positions atop the rocks to get a better view. They began a battle between marksmen, trained imperial soldiers and Kig-Yar mercenaries, that would have a great impact on who would win. Green laser bolts killed off the avian mercenaries while purple ionized particles drilled holes in the heads of the scout troopers.

"So what's your assessment?" Burney asked Stacker idly as they watched the carnage from afar.

"The imps are doing a good job, but their armor is too much in the open." Stacker replied just as another AT-ST went up in flames. Its body toppled over and crushed anything or anyone beneath it.

"How much longer do you think it'll take?" His companion wondered as blew out some smoke from his cigar.

"At this rate? Not that much longer. Wait until those giant camels open fire." Stacker replied as he pointed out that the AT-ATs couldn't fire because of their obscured vision. The rock formations were in the way but a few more steps and they would be ready to shoot anyone with their blaster cannons.

The Elite field marshal roared something else this time in anger. Barely a minute later the Wraiths came out of their concealed positions and fired at the imperial walkers. One of the AT-DPs collapsed as a blob of plasma vaporized its left leg. With no proper support to keep it standing, the walker went down and one more blaster cannon fell silent. The covenant forces cheered as the walkers' numbers began to dwindle and the troopers' advance slowed down. Most barricades and plasma turrets were long gone but that small fact escaped the zealots apparently.

The storm troopers obviously felt the pressure without proper walker support as they were cut down by plasma fire. A squad of Elites activated their energy sword and charged the imperials head-on. Some troopers had barely any time to react as they were gutted by the sword wielding warriors. Trooper after trooper went down by the hands of either a swordsman or a suicidal Grunt. The guerrilla tactics were working on the imperials as their numbers continued to dwindle. Were it not for the shock troopers or flame troopers present they would have suffered the wrath of the swordsmen for an even longer period of time.

And then came the moment that Stacker had foreseen since the beginning of the battle, the arrival of the AT-ATs.

Without any more terrain blocking their view they started lashing out damage of their own. The chin-mounted heavy blaster cannons made thundering noise that shook the canyon. Entire watch towers were obliterated by the powerful cannons, causing the sniper support of the imperials to come out as the victors, and even the Wraiths stood little chance. Their plasma rounds harmlessly washed over the strong armor of the AT-AT walkers, all the while the imperial behemoths retaliated with much more effect. The field marshal had to watch as all of its armored units were annihilated by the imperial armor.

The AT-AT display caused effects on each side's morale as well. The imperials cheered and renewed their assault with regained vigor. Troopers marched forward and killed any alien in their path by putting a blaster bolt in its head. For the Storm Covenant it meant disaster. The Grunts were in a disarray and even the Elite who were fierce warriors decided to show their faces less and less in order to survive the AT-AT onslaught. They didn't give in but their confidence was quite shaken.

"The Covenant is suffering heavy losses. Those walkers are crushing any resistance." Burney spoke up almost impressed by it.

As he threw the cigar away, Stacker could only scoff in return. "Wait for it."

An AT-AT fired its lighter blaster cannons at a trench full of covenant soldiers, turning the sand into glass in the process. Grunts fired back with their inferior weapons but all their effort was for nothing as the imperial mechanical beast continued firing. It stomped its way over corpses and wreckage before reaching the now broken first line of defense. Fuel rod launchers chipped away at its powerful armor, plates of durasteel were scorched and blackened as a result, but were not enough to bring it down. The AT-AT raised its head and fired heavy laser bolts at the rocks above the canyon. Due to the powerful blast they shattered and fell down upon the covenant lines. Boulders of large size crushed both the soldiers and equipment below.

Just as the war machine took another step forward it was hit by a powerful plasma bolt. The impact was enough to force the head of the walker to the side. Three Phantoms appeared in the sky followed by a duo of Banshees. The covenant defenders rallied behind their aerial support and with renewed morale they struck back.

The Phantoms were not carrying troops, no these were the gunship variant, and they meant business. All three of them made a strafing run in formation with their forward plasma cannons spitting out highly lethal plasma. Grunts manned the plasma turrets on the sides of each gunship and fired away in glee. Storm troopers were felled by the gunship support, they all ran for cover which effectively halted their advance.

The AT-AT in the front found itself under attack by the gunships as it blasted a plasma turret apart. More and more plasma bolts hit its armored hull, all of them coming from the Phantoms with more effect than what the ground troops had been doing. The other AT-AT on the other hand was now aware of the gunships that flew around its fellow walker like vultures. Its head turned upwards and fired heavy blaster cannons, the first bolts missed but then one of the Phantoms was hit by the walker. The laser bolts burned through the armor, vaporizing anything in the way, before the Phantom ignited in a fiery explosion.

While the downed Phantom crashed onto the battlefield below, the other Phantoms continued their attack. Just as it began to seem hopeless a lone plasma bolt struck the AT-AT's weak spot; the walker's neck. The less armored neck was blown apart by the gunship's attack and slowly but steadily the walker began to collapse. Smoke and fire was coming out of the neck and the head of the walker. Seconds passed before the AT-AT finally fell down causing the battlefield to shake.

Burney was grinning at Stacker with visible amusement. "You cheeky bastard. You knew the Covenant was going to send in those Phantoms."

"Maybe." Stacker replied curtly but with a slight smirk.

Enraged by the demise of the large walker and their losses, the imperial officers shouted orders at their subordinates promising swift retaliation. Moments later the troop transports' laser turrets on top swiveled around before aiming upwards. Their targets were easily identified, the two surviving Phantoms. Laser fire poured out of the barrels forcing the Phantoms to evade. The Grunt gunners had to hold on for their lives or risk falling out of the gunships. One of the Phantoms was unlucky enough to get hit as laser bolts ripped one of the thrusters apart. Fire came out of the machinery as the Phantom spun out of control. It tried staying up in the air but eventually crashed in the middle of the battlefield.

Both of the Banshees that had been assisting the ground troops broke off from their original targets and went after the troop transports. The imperials were little too late to spun the guns around and before they knew it a transport went up in flames, courtesy of covenant fuel rod cannons. When the turrets got them in their sights they were still struggling, Banshees were very agile and more than able to dodge the laser turrets.

Suddenly a rocket slammed into a Banshee, blowing it apart and eliminating another aerial vehicle. Apparently the storm troopers on the ground were fed up with the covenant air support and decided to refocus some of their heavy armament to stop it. The surviving Banshee didn't fare any better, only a minute later it got shot down by one of the still functioning AT-STs. The last Phantom had already retreated some time ago, staying there was suicide with the anti-air weapons that the imperials had access to.

After only fifteen minutes both sides were battered and weakened. By now the covenant defenders and imperial attackers had exhausted their resources. Something that Stacker had been patiently waiting for.

"This is our chance. Let's move it marines!" He ordered loudly and grabbed his rifle.

Burney nodded and relayed his orders to the rest of the platoon. The marines were clearly eager for a fight, their excited postures indicated that much, which was all the better for Stacker.

Stacker gave his marines one final look before running off towards the battlefield, with his finger on the trigger and a determination that got him through the human-covenant war.


	10. Chapter 10

**Bad new: it took me way too long to make this. Good news: I made it longer than usually to make it up to you people. Bad or good news, you decide it: it's somewhat of a filler chapter.**

 **This chapter is not about what is happening on Requiem but about what is going in the meantime. See it as a chapter that will give you content about events happening but also about events that are going to come. I also included one of the OCs in it, just for the fun of it. I hope that I did an adequate job with it.**

 **Anyway, enjoy! (and let's hope that star wars battlefront 2 won't steal my free time so I can write the next chapter faster than this one)**

* * *

 **Colony world Biko**

 **Southern continent**

 **New Munich**

" _Four storm troopers, standard square formation, patrol at 15:30."_ John Hoffman memorized as he walked through the streets of New Munich.

The battle between the empire and the UNSC for Biko had been a relative short one. In fact it lasted only three days of which the larger part had been dedicated to wiping out any remaining resistance. Due to their forces being spread thin, the UNSC had pulled some ships away from the planet's defense fleet to reinforce another. It was morally cruel but logically the wisest choice. Biko was still being repopulated and the only settlements for now were located on the southern continent.

When the imperial fleet had arrived, outnumbering the UNSC ships by five to one, the defending warships had lashed out some damage before retreating to the nearest unoccupied colony world. This gave the imperials free reign to overwhelm the ground troops with large amounts of troopers and walkers along with naval support. All the major cities fell in a matter of hours and the smaller settlements were defenseless against such a staggering foe. The only positive thing that came out of it was the lack of casualties for the UEG people. Only the military personnel stationed on Biko had been sent towards labor camps.

Now weeks later the city of New Munich, which was one of the five largest cities on the planet, was under complete imperial control. The occupation of the city had gone smoothly so far. There were barely riots or protestors and any sign of rebel activity was absent. At least, the imperials thought so, but in reality only the former was true. Some of the military personnel had managed to hide during the invasion and gathered willing civilians to form a resistance. So far it had been nothing concrete, only a few cells, but now they were united and ready to cause trouble.

The unification of these resistance cells could be explained by two important factors. One of them was commander Janet Reeves, a decorated army officer who had evaded capture only because her own troops had sacrificed themselves so she could escape with others. Fueled by their sacrifice and her desire to help the people of Biko she spoke to each cell and brought them together. The other factor was that the enormous fleet of star destroyers that previously loomed above them was gone. One day it floated above them to remind them of their oppressors and the next it was gone, probably reassigned. Now only a handful of ships remained to guard the planet from outer and inner threats.

One of them being the Biko resistance.

John Hoffman was a civilian but a patriot to the bone. He was already in his sixties and used to be a police officer before retiring. It was him who supplied the resistance with weapons from an old storage room that he knew of. He also convinced some of his old colleagues to join the resistance so they could fight properly against the imperials. Civilians who were willing to fight was good but people who had training with weapons were even better.

"Another standard patrol. Jeffrey reported the same thing at the city's police station." Amanda Lawson, his partner in the resistance, told the old cop as she walked next to him.

They were secretly watching the storm trooper patrol on the other side of the street. Commander Reeves was planning to raid the city's imperial barracks and for that she needed intel. John and Amanda had volunteered immediately to help in gathering the necessary intelligence. Now they were watching the troopers walk by a small outpost which had been a restaurant before imperial rule. Now it was a place where imperial troopers stood guard and two officers gave orders from the inside. Two speeder bikes were parked on the sidewalk and one AT-DP stood guard as well.

"A patrol passes by every thirty minutes, four storm troopers go in and four come out. The bikers never leave unless it's an important matter and the walker remains there for protection." John summarized quietly.

Amanda nodded and soon both of them left the street before heading towards the city park. It was a relative short walk but they still saw signs of imperial presence. There were posters showing troopers or officers with a promise of order and security or other propaganda. Sometimes they passed a pair of troopers who inspected passersby for anything unusual. Imperial regime was different in many ways but the people of Biko were lucky to have a reasonable governor unlike other colonies. Not that they knew of course, any communication with other worlds was cut off and the only way now was by using the imperial comm center.

"Glad to see our 'protectors' do their duty." Amanda stated dryly as they passed a pair of troopers who were busy inspecting a woman's belongings.

"Shush. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention." John admonished as he tugged at his scarf.

Even while they were on the southern continent it had become quite cold with the winter. A thin blanket of snow covered the city and from time to time it would snow to keep that white layer there. John strode through the park with Amanda at his side until they came across a small pond. There was a lone bench with a man sitting on it. He was in his thirties and seemed to be reading an old book. Most people nowadays used datapads but books were still a commonly source of entertainment.

John sat down next to the man and Amanda followed suit. She pulled out her phone and began typing on it while John stared at the playing children up ahead. They were allowed to go out again and the youngest of them seemed to be blissfully unaware of the occupation. The mothers and fathers who were watching them on the other hand were more worried about their wellbeing.

"Is it a good book?" John suddenly asked the man who kept on reading.

"I enjoy it. I do wonder if it will have a sudden plot twist." Came the answer.

John chuckled quietly as he kept on staring. "Believe me, it stays the same. Almost as if someone should add some excitement."

The man read a few more lines before closing the book with a small smile. He stood up as he stored the book away in his coat before putting his hat on. He flashed John a smile and gave a polite nod before walking away. John watched him go while Amanda put her phone away.

"We should go home, any idea how much longer we'll stay outside?" She spoke up playfully and gave him a small smirk.

John grinned at her and said, "You know an old man like me needs at least a full hour to get home."

As the two of them left the park, the man with the hat entered a small pub a few minutes later. The place was not filled to the brim with customers but not empty either. A calm atmosphere was present as the customers conversed with each other. The man made his way towards the counter and sat down on one of the barstools. He nodded towards the bartender who returned the gesture in kind.

"What will it be Nick?" The bartender asked when he turned his attention to the new client.

"Surprise me this time. Get me one of your secret beverages." Nick told the man with a glint in his eyes.

Stanley got the message and went towards the back of the pub. A minute passed before he returned with a bottle of rum. He quickly mixed it with what he already got and poured some in glass just in front of Nick. He leaned somewhat further towards his client while giving the drink.

"She's waiting in the cellar." Stanley whispered to him discreetly.

Nick nodded and payed for the drink. He drank it all in one go before walking towards the back of the pub. Nick went inside a storage closet and opened a secret panel in the floor. He walked down the wooden stairs after closing the entrance and soon came across a door made out of steel. He tapped the metal surface two time followed by a pause before tapping two times once more. Noise came from the other side and after a long process of locks being removed, the door finally opened.

Nick nodded at the resistance guard and walked towards the center of the room. Multiple resistance members were running the few operations they had and standing there at a large table was Janet Reeves, their leader herself, along with some other key leaders. She looked up from a document that she was reading and nodded at Nick.

"What did they say?" She asked and cut right to the chase. She was someone who liked to get down to business immediately and she had a tight schedule to run.

"No change in the imperials' schedule. Still the same guards, patrols and walker as always." Nick answered as he joined her at the table.

"Then it is time to strike." She stated firmly gaining the attention of the others. "Within the hour we will execute our first major operation since we formed the resistance. We're going to strike an imperial outpost here in the city."

Everyone began to mutter excitedly as Reeves activated a military grade projector. A full holographic display of the restaurant turned outpost appeared on the table.

"Alright listen up, we've all seen the plan before but we're going to go over the details one more time. First up is our initial assault on the building. There are three possible exits that we can take: the front entrance, the back door and the sewers. Our first attack will come from the back door where normally around five troopers stand guard. That will get the attention of the imperials in the front and knowing the bucket heads they'll send troopers to the back. They'll assume that walker will be enough to fend off any other attacks. We're going to prove them wrong." Reeves began and worked in tandem with the projector.

The view changed from the entire building to only the back of it where five dots were. Obviously these white dots represented the storm troopers. Multiple green dots moved in and engaged the white ones in a fight. More of the white dots appeared before the view changed to the front where there were now fewer dots but a large one which could only be the walker.

"Once their attention is drawn to our diversion we will go in fast. We'll use bikes to drive by and throw a couple of grenades. That walker will be too slow to hit them and it'll force their bikers to pursue us. Then we'll strike with our other soldiers and have our heavies target the walker. Now this is one of the critical and most important parts, another strike team will infiltrate the building through the sewers and go after their leadership. I want these officers alive for interrogation and any documents that could be important. When we have our prisoners and our intel, the infiltration team inside will escape through their way in. The assault teams will stay for a while to cover their retreat before leaving through the sewers as well. Any questions?"

No one in the room spoke up as they all understood what had to be done.

Nick shrugged and voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

 **Mandalore system**

 **Moon Concordia**

 **Imperial mining facility TY-55**

"Faster!"

Kad cried out in pain as a storm trooper hurt him with a whip. The poor Mandalorian fell on his knees as the tool struck his back. Pain flared up in his back as he tried to get up but it was hard to do so. He had been imprisoned for over a month by now, all because he was against imperial policies. Now he paid the price for speaking out against his imperial rulers. Before all of this he was a simple clerk in one of Mandalore's domed cities but now he was a prisoner in one of the empire's labor camps.

All around him were fellow prisoners who were forced day after day to mine in one of the reopened mines of Concordia. Troopers patrolled by and some of them oversaw the progress of the operations, sometimes resulting in physical abuse to get the prisoners working again. Food and water was sparse but Mandalorians didn't give up. They fought on until the bitter end.

"Get moving prisoner!" One of the guards ordered and pushed Kad towards the mining equipment.

Kad picked up the tool rather unenthusiastically but he preferred working to getting more punishment. Wounds only slowed you down and that was something no one could afford in the mine. The imperials were for some reason zealous in their mining quotas. They had always gathered every resource they could find on a planet but now they increased these operations which led to the reopening of Concordia's mines.

Another storm trooper strode past him towards two of his compatriots and Kad couldn't help but eavesdrop on them.

"The lieutenant has ordered us to increase the production down here." The trooper informed his fellow soldiers rather sullenly.

"He wants more? If we push these prisoners any further they'll collapse! Aren't we operating at peak efficiency already?" One of them replied incredulously.

"Orders are orders. Just try to not get the prisoners killed." Came the dull reply.

"We get that." The other trooper spoke up in a tone that made Kad imagine the face behind the helmet frowning. "But these quotas are ridiculous. I guess we can send some of the workers into the dangerous parts of the mine but there's always the risk of those tunnels collapsing. They are practically ancient; some leftovers of the old miners that ran this place."

"Just do it already. I've got enough of that nerfherding officer yelling at me for results."

Kad felt a pit form in his stomach at the thought of having to enter the unstable tunnels. Last time they sent workers down there they lost five good friends.

"We're all going to die here." He heard the prisoner to his right mutter.

Kad began digging once more, with his hopes of getting out alive diminishing with every piece of rock that he mined.

Over two hours passed before suddenly the alarm system went off. Blaring alarm noises could be heard through the entire mine and soon the loudspeakers came to life.

"All guards in the lower levels to the surface! I repeat, all guards in the lower levels are to report to their battle stations, this is not a drill!" Some imperial officer with an accent commanded with detectable concern.

The prisoners looked at each other in bewilderment and for a moment that spark of hope was reignited. The troopers began scrambling as they rushed past the stunned inmates towards the exit. As the troopers ran towards their positions they were joined by more of their fellow soldiers. At each intersection at least two storm troopers linked up with the larger group. The others that remained in the mines took positions at the check points and made sure to set their weapons on lethal instead of the stun blasts. By the time that the troopers that guarded the lower levels reached the exit they were at least more than thirty strong.

They came out of the mines where a few buildings were placed; the barracks, headquarters, cells and storage rooms. Rocks were lined around it providing natural cover.

Outside of the complex the guards were running around with weapons in their hands. The few turrets that were positioned atop the rocks above the entrance spun around with their barrels aimed at the direction of where their enemy would come. Four AT-STs marched forward to reinforce the infantry as they took positions behind barricades. Officers were present in their olive green vests with combat armor above it and blaster pistols in hands.

Yet no attack came.

After a few minutes the troopers became confused since they thought there was an attack in process or at least incoming hostiles. But no, there was nothing.

One of the officers came out of cover and began barking orders at them. "Do a perimeter sweep and find the enemy! Get me-"

A blaster bolt pierced his uncovered head, went straight through his right eye, and the corpse of the officer dropped on the rocky terrain with a loud thud. The troopers recoiled and they looked around frantically but saw no one.

THUD

Another body fell down as a smoking hole adorned the trooper's chest. By now the troopers scrambled for cover as they tried getting away from the unknown assailant. Seeing the soldiers give in to disorder, the highest ranked officer quickly accessed the comm channel to rally them.

Lieutenant Lucian, second-in-command of the facility, cursed loudly. There was no way in the nine corellian hells that they would give up and roll over like this. His superiors would kill him personally if the mine fell. However, he would need to find out who was attacking first.

"Keep calm and stay behind cover. Find that sniper now!" He ordered with a scowl.

"Sir, over there!" One of the troopers called out and pointed at the wall of rocks.

The lieutenant followed the soldier's gaze and he paled as he saw a lone figure standing there. Whoever he or she was, the armor was easily recognized and it gave him chills to stare at that T-shaped visor.

They were under attack by Mandalorians!

"There too!" Someone yelled from behind him.

Another one of them stood high atop one of the large boulders with a heavy blaster in hand. More and more of the armored men and women appeared, all of them staring down at the imperial soldiers. When dozens of Mandalorians showed themselves to their enemies, you knew they were confident in their chances of winning. That was something the imperials understood all too well.

"Don't just stand there!" Lucian yelled and pointed at the Mandalorian warriors. "Open fire!"

The troopers fired immediately at the warrior people and were joined by their walkers and turrets. The Mandalorians split up, a group of warriors on the ground and the other in the air using their jetpacks, before returning fire with their own weaponry. Some of the Mandalorians unleashed rocket barrages using their wrist rockets. Pieces of plastoid armor and human body parts were thrown away by the explosions which contributed to the already demoralized storm troopers' morale. Not even the walkers seemed to do much against targets with such agility.

The turrets thundered as their heavy laser bolts soared towards the attackers. The rocky terrain burst apart beneath their high velocity and shards of stone were cast aside but not a single Mandalorian fell to their firepower. The gunners inside the turrets tried their best but failed to do much against targets that could evade their slower weapons with jetpacks. Whenever one would land a hit, the warrior would use the tool on his or her back to dart to the side. Nonetheless they kept on barraging them. The gunners were so focused that they did not notice the Mandalorian infiltrators sneaking up behind them. They were too late when the attackers forced the hatches open and threw thermal detonators inside. All that the troopers down below could do was fire at the Mandalorians who flew away from the burning and wrecked turrets.

"Hold the line!" The officers shouted as they stood their ground against the Mandalorian onslaught.

"Incoming airstrike!" Someone shouted.

Three Mandalorian starfighters descended from the clouds and made a strafing run above the camp. The lieutenant felt a pit form in his stomach as the starfighters went after their walkers. The AT-STs were unable to defend themselves and soon fell prey to the Mandalorian pilots as they blasted the walkers apart. Three of them went down in flames while the last one was picked off by a Mandalorian's rocket launcher. The troopers were thrown in a disarray and stumbled back towards their other barricades.

"Send reinforcements, now!" The lieutenant ordered with anger clouding his vison.

Six troopers jogged forward but halted in their tracks as a Mandalorian dropped down from the sky in front of them. The troopers involuntary took a step back as the over six foot Mandalorian seemed to glare at them through his helmet's visor. The sunlight reflected off the scarred green armor with yellow lines. The symbol of Mandalore was painted in red on his chest as well. A sniper rifle hung on his back, two WESTAR-34 blaster pistols were holstered on his hip and a GALAAR-15 heavy blaster carbine was aimed at them. They could also see a sword of some native design sheathed on the warrior's back.

Before any of them could even raise their rifles there were already three blaster bolts fired. Two of them hit a trooper's chest while the other found its mark on a storm trooper's helmet plus the skull within. Both bodies fell on the ground as the others returned fire. They missed their target though, the Mandalorian dove behind a barricade and fired again. The only trooper who hadn't found cover yet was hit in the back and died instantly.

"Move up and flank him." A trooper told his comrades who nodded and headed out while being covered.

They ran past the corpses of their fallen brethren and aimed at the spot where the killer was. Just before they opened fire, the Mandalorian rose up by using his jetpack but instead of his carbine he had the two pistols in his hands. A few squeezes of the triggers and the troopers dropped down to join their fallen. The warrior flew forward and with precise aim he killed the last of the guards.

"Nice job Ijaat. Good to see that your aim is still true." A bulky Mandalorian in black and brown armor said as he landed next to the other warrior.

Ijaat holstered his pistols and swapped them for his carbine.

"Was there ever any doubt Krosis?" He asked with a grin behind the helmet.

Krosis chuckled loudly as he casually carried a TL-50 heavy repeater blaster. "With your aim? Bucketheads never stood a chance."

Ijaat fell in line next to Krosis as the two jogged towards the cell blocks where the prisoners were held. On their way they picked off any trooper that blocked their path but resistance was weak considering most of them were guarding the headquarters. A few minor fights were between the buildings but it was clear the imperials were prioritizing defenses at certain points. The prison cells were a prime example.

Ijaat stopped jogging and held up a fist. Krosis got the hint and halted as well. The younger Mandalorian pulled down his rangefinder before using its zoom enhancement. He spotted over a dozen of troopers including some jump troopers along with an officer. They were obviously guarding the entrance to the building and two E-web turrets were placed at the door. A duo of scout troopers were keeping an eye out for intrusions as they crouched on top of the roof.

"Storm troopers down below with an officer and some jump troopers. There are snipers on the roof as well. I'll pick them off with my own sniper rifle while you cause a commotion at their front door. Once I take down the scout troopers and officer I'll join you. Sounds good?" Ijaat spoke up as he retrieved the sniper rifle from his back.

"Sure thing. I got enough explosives for all of them." Krosis replied eagerly and ran forward.

Ijaat crouched and placed his rifle on one of the rocks for stability. He eased his breathing as he looked through the scope at his first target; the imperial officer. The man was blissfully aware of the weapon aimed at his unprotected head and kept on organizing his troopers.

Ijaat took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. It was a clean kill. The officer fell on his back as the laser bolt burned through his skull and fried his brain. The olive green cap fell off so it couldn't conceal the black hole on his forehead or the shocked look plastered on his face.

Ijaat didn't take the time to look at how the troopers reacted. His scope was already glaring at the scout troopers above them. The imperial snipers were looking for him, that much was obvious as one of them was using macro binoculars to find him. Just before he fired again, the trooper seemed to have spotted him as the man pointed in his direction. Ijaat fired again and hit the trooper's throat. The corpse fell of the roof along with the macro binoculars but now the other one knew where he was.

Ijaat quickly shifted his focus towards the last sniper but the imperial was fast. Both of them aimed at each other and at the exact same time fired. Time seemed to slow down as Ijaat quickly rolled to his left, the laser bolt only passing him by mere inches, as it then struck ground. His shot however was a hit and soon the last scout trooper stumbled back as he clutched at the wound on his chest. Ijaat sighed in relief at his foe's demise before turning his attention to the other imperials.

Krosis was laughing loudly as he kept on firing away at the storm troopers when Ijaat got there. More than six troopers were already dead and two more were dying a painful death after an incendiary grenade detonated at their feet. The hot flames licked away at their flesh and melted the plastoid armor they wore. Krosis unclipped another grenade from his bandolier, threw it at the troopers and cheered when it blew three more apart. His heavy blaster was suppressing the storm troopers but the jump troopers were a different story.

Seeing them advance on Krosis his position, Ijaat activated his jetpack and ascended quickly. One of the imperials was visibly startled by his arrival before he pulled out his Mandalorian sword and slashed at the trooper's jetpack. The trooper cried out in terror as it caught fire before he plummeted into the rocky terrain and broke a lot of bones.

"Watch out!" One of the jump troopers warned his comrades and began shooting at Ijaat.

Ijaat swiftly dodged the laser bolts that were fired at him as he closed the distance between him and the nearest jump trooper. He swung his blade at the trooper who unfortunately for him ducked just in time. Ijaat acted quickly by kneeing the trooper in the chest before kicking him away. The dazed imperial plummeted towards the ground but he was already going after his next victim. Ijaat pulled out his blaster pistol and shot another in the head before gutting another.

Krosis laughed out loud as imperial bodies fell out of the sky.

"Make sure to leave some for me will ya." He said on the comms while taking down a trooper that looked over his cover.

"There's still the turrets." Ijaat replied as he flew through the air blasting at his enemies.

"Aye, they won't last long." Krosis said eagerly as he aimed his arm at one of the E-webs.

With a quick command he launched one of his wrist rockets at the gun emplacement. The gunner behind the E-web cried out in surprise but escape was futile. An explosion caused by the rocket ignited the power pack of the weapon which resulted in an even larger explosion. The other E-web was taken down similarly and soon the storm troopers started retreating inside the building.

Ijaat landed gracefully at Krosis' side and watched as his comrade retrieved a few thermal detonators from the fallen troopers' corpses.

"Any idea on how much more troopers are inside?" He asked as he sheathed his saber.

Krosis looked up and shook his head. "No, but my guess is that they'll have more than a few squads. Maybe even a few security droids."

Ijaat nodded and grabbed his blaster rifle while Krosis hefted his heavy repeater blaster. Both of them walked forward towards the entrance with a clear purpose. Krosis slammed on the console at the door which made it open revealing the dimly lit corridors of the prison cells.

"You lead and I'll cover you." Ijaat said as he aimed his blaster.

Krosis chuckled in mirth as the two Mandalorians entered the building to free their brethren and sisters.

* * *

 _Report made by:_

 _Captain James Parker_

 _Prowler Echo-455_

 _Subject:_

 _Imperial space station_

At the command of ONI section one, prowler Echo-455 was sent into imperial occupied space close to Harvest in order to gather intel on imperial ship movement. Upon arrival we encountered multiple imperial cargo vessels along with warships as an escort. After approximately two hours the imperial ships initiated FTL travel towards uncharted space. The onboard AI, service number TTN 5577-1, analyzed their trail and managed to come up with a possible destination. Echo-455 pursued the imperial ships immediately. After an additional hour through slipspace we arrived at an uncharted star system with only four planets, two of them habitable for humans, one a gas giant and the last one a barren world with extreme cold temperatures.

As the commanding officer I gave the order to explore the system and look for any indication of imperial presence. We arrived at the first habitable world and found out that human lifeforms are present on it along with unidentified lifeforms, possibly native alien life or from imperial space. Scans indicate that the planet is mostly covered by jungle and large bodies of water. As we moved on we passed the planet's moon and detected an imperial facility on it. After a thorough investigation we deducted that it acts as a forward outpost to warn their main base of any intrusion. Their sensors did not detect our prowler.

The second planet was visibly dying. While still habitable for now, it showed signs of rapid decay so to speak. The onboard AI analyzed the planet's ecosystem and found out that it is slowly withering away but there are a lot of minerals buried beneath the ground. Imperial communications were detected as well. All intercepted transmissions have been recorded and were delivered to ONI section one for further decryption. Three mining operations were revealed after another scan. Due to the planet's hectic atmosphere we were unable to fully investigate the facilities from orbit.

As we headed further into the system we came across the largest imperial operation that we recorded while being there. Multiple space docks were present along with one large space station that we have yet to identify. The docks however are similar to the shipyard that was discovered above Harvest a few weeks ago. They were large, wheel-shaped installations that featured multiple hangars as well as several docking bays for what we believe to be Imperial-class star destroyers. The larger space station was spherical in shape with four 'holes' in it where ships can enter and dock. According to the onboard AI it is able to accommodate over thirty ships at the same time. Considering the station along with the smaller shipyards, dozens of defense satellites and a whole fleet of imperial warships, we believe this might be where the imperials came from during first contact. Perhaps this used to be a staging area and now it has expanded to being a place for their ships to rest when they go from our galaxy to their own.

The gas giant was devoid of imperial presence save for a few satellites, possibly warning beacons, but scans of the ice planet came back positive about lifeforms. Due to the climate we were only able to make a guess as to where the imperial facility could be, but comm traffic showed that it might be a large military base. There is no further data on it.

Prowler Echo-455 remained in the star system and monitored imperial movement which gave results that indicated it is indeed some sort of rallying point.

This might be our chance of a desperately needed major victory over the imperial invaders.

 _End report_

* * *

 **Coruscant**

 **Imperial palace**

 **Throne room**

Palpatine was a very patient man. He knew when to bide his time or when to sit back and wait for certain events to unfold. He had patiently manipulated corporations, senators, leaders and even orchestrated an entire war. Rushing things was not his style, and that gained him the virtue of patience.

So here he was, waiting for his apprentice to finally grace him with his presence. One should feel annoyance when a subordinate failed to arrive on time but Palpatine was no ordinary man. Not only did Vader have every right to be late considering he had to depart from their conquered territory but Palpatine knew that Vader rarely failed him. There were a few occasions, and he punished his apprentice every single time, but he had faith in his sith apprentice.

Before he could think some more about current events, the doors were opened by two of his guards and Vader strode in with his usual long stride. Vader ignored anyone else and headed for the throne immediately. He halted a few steps in front of him before kneeling respectfully.

"Greetings my old friend. I trust your trip was uneventful?" The emperor welcomed the younger sith smoothly.

"Yes my master." Vader replied instantly. "My delay is the fault of some minor issues that I had to deal with before my departure. Rest assured that they have been dealt with effectively."

"Of course lord Vader. I am happy to see that you keep up the good work in our new territory." His master said gleefully.

Vader rose up when Palpatine gestured for him to do so and turned his attention to the other occupants of the dark room.

"Lord Vader." Thrawn greeted respectfully with a small bow which Vader returned in kind.

"My lord." Mara Jade greeted less enthusiastically but nevertheless respectful.

Vader then stopped to stare at the last occupant of the room. A man in a pristine white uniform with the insignia of the Advanced Weapons Research, grey hair and blue eyes that showed some fear to the dark lord.

"Director Krennic, a surprise to see you here." Vader said plainly.

Orson Krennic, the man who had presumably died on Scarif during a rebel attack before the loss of the death star which had been the man's pride and joy, bowed as well. Not much had changed about him but there were scars on his left cheek that stood out.

"Lord Vader." He said as respectfully as Thrawn had. "My presence here is related to the current war and the scientific achievements my department has made."

"I hope you have kept your aspirations in check director." Vader told him as he stared the man down.

Krennic shuffled nervously but nodded nonetheless. "I have learned from my mistakes."

No one missed how he subconsciously flexed his left arm which was nothing but an artificial prosthetic. Krennic's survival did not go smoothly and he had lost his limb during an accident. It was quite the wakeup call after Scarif, an event that still haunted the imperial researcher's dreams.

"Speaking of achievements, I say it is time to reveal the purpose of this gathering and why only a select few of us are here." The emperor spoke up with amusement.

Everyone sat down at the small table that had been placed in front of Palpatine's throne. He sat at the head while Vader and Mara sat at his sides. Thrawn and Krennic took the other seats which were left vacant. The lights dimmed and a holoprojector hummed to life.

"As you all know," The emperor began, "we have been fighting the UEG and its military for quite some time now. I speak for all of us when I say that they have proven more resilient than we thought in the beginning."

"They are indeed strong warriors." Vader added.

Thrawn softly stroke his chin and said thoughtfully, "Their mass accelerator weapons are unlike anything our galaxy has ever seen. A crude but efficient weapon."

Palpatine nodded in agreement. "Which is why we have looked for more productive countermeasures. We also did more research into our enemy's technology and came with some fruitful results. Enlighten us, director Krennic."

Krennic nodded submissively and connected his datapad to the holoprojector. The first image that was brought up was that of a shield generator installed on a star destroyer.

"As you all know, kinetic weapons are a rarity in our own galaxy. It is rarely used in space combat and slugthrowers are used by either primitives or bounty hunters. We always saw them as an insignificant threat so we never focused on defensive measures against them. The UNSC however uses incredibly advanced projectile based weapons. Their MACs can slice through an Acclamator with surprising ease. Therefore we made improvements to what we already have. A week ago we finished testing our newest shield generator design which will fortify our kinetic barriers enough to increase the survival rate against MACs. The newest body armor design will also have more resilience against bullets." Krennic explained as he showed the new designs.

Thrawn and Vader leaned forward in rapid interest while Mara remained unimpressed.

"When will the new designs be incorporated in our war machines and the armor distributed to the troops?" Vader rumbled in his deep voice.

"The process has already begun my lord. Your reinforcements will have these upgrades and cargo freighters are already transporting the necessary materials to the front lines." Krennic answered immediately.

"What of the other achievements?" Thrawn inquired in his usual calm way.

Krennic typed on his datapad and soon the image of a strange walker appeared. It was a very large walker indeed and was unlike anything they had ever seen, except for Vader.

"This walker is very similar to the one that the alien coalition, the Covenant, uses." He pointed out.

"It is. What you see here is a design based off the 'Scarab' as they call it. I present the All-Terrain Mobile Assault Platform." Krennic confirmed with pride.

The ATMAP as Krennic dubbed it was indeed something to be proud of. It was distinctively larger than the standard Scarab that the Covenant utilized. Its entire frame was a dull grey like the AT-AT but its shape was somewhat different. Weaknesses that the Scarab had were obviously worked on since it didn't have any easy ways in. The insides of the machine were sealed off and the only way in or out was through blast doors.

"This design is most curious." Thrawn commented as more detailed information appeared. "What else can you tell us about it, director?"

"Well first I will explain how we came in possession of an intact Scarab. Lord Vader here personally fought a covenant remnant and defeated them. The spoils of war that were made that day included a Scarab although it was heavily damaged. The partially intact Scarab was still enough to build our own prototype though." Krennic told them and pressed a gloved finger on his datapad.

Around a dozen images appeared on the projection and he began his full explanation shortly after.

"The AT-MAP is in many ways like its covenant predecessor but now strengthened by imperial technology. The first thing that we replaced is the plasma cannon mounted on the 'head'. The weapon is now based on our Kyber crystal research that we developed for the death star. Needless to say we will have to gather more crystals but its destructive power is immense. This laser is much smaller than the one on the death star obviously and will be able to fire faster, albeit still at a slower rate than I like due to the need of recharging the weapon." Krennic said with pride but a small frown at the end.

"If it fires so slow compared to other vehicles, then you surely have something to correct this flaw." Mara spoke up.

"The other weaponry makes up for that, I assure you." The director replied with a small nod. "It's armor is even more resilient than that of an AT-AT. While still not that strong, it does have a deflector shield but it only protects certain parts of the vehicle. Its design is simply incompatible with current shielding technology for ground forces. It sports spherical laser turrets on the legs, three on each, which have been used in defensive forts before. During the clone wars the Geonosians used them in their walls and they were also present in clone cadet exercises. They have MS-1 turrets on the legs as well, these are the ones used by AT-ATs, but a less powerful variant though it still packs a punch. There are also two twin turbo lasers on the top of the AT-MAP along with smaller laser turrets. We let the plasma turret on the top remain. That is pretty much the weapon system of the new walker."

Palpatine smiled in delight as he focused on the new walker. Mara looked impressed as did Thrawn. Vader remained silent but even he had to admit it was a war machine that would increase the odds of imperial victory on the battlefield.

"It has formidable weapons director Krennic, but how will you power it? If it utilizes Kyber crystal based weaponry along with those other weapons it will need a strong power source." Thrawn pointed out after a few moments. The grand admiral was a bit skeptical of it but still saw the use of the weapon.

Krennic nodded in agreement. "I concur grand admiral and have looked at every option. As it is now we will use power generators manufactured by the eksoan company. Their generators are able to provide enough power for an entire colony. My technicians have developed what they call an 'UPG-1' generator for the AT-MAP."

Thrawn nodded in understanding and remained silent in thought. Vader's voice soon took his place.

"What of the inside? Our foes would be able to infiltrate it through the blast doors." He said.

"The thought has crossed my mind before my lord." Krennic answered reassuringly. "I made sure to give each AT-MAP design room for an automated security force of eight sentry droids along with a storm trooper unit. The vehicle is large and will need gunners, technicians and the best drivers. It also has ray shielding which protects the power source and control room. Even when that door is breached it will be protected by two phase-II dark troopers."

"Very effective director. What about the current development?" Palpatine inquired as he pressed his fingertips together in concentration.

"Unfortunately all we have at the moment is a prototype your highness. It is undergoing second testing at the main research facility." Krennic replied calmly.

Palpatine accepted the unsaid explanation. It was obvious that such a powerful creation would need a lot of development along with lots of tests. He knew that it would cost a hefty amount of credits to build but it was worth it in the long run. They needed every advantage they could get over their enemies and what better than an improvement on the war machine that struck fear in their enemies' hearts?

"Where is this facility located?" Vader asked as he studied the design more closely.

"Umbara, my lord. The natives are experts in plasma technology plus it is a planet that suited us because of the secrecy." The director of the Advanced Weapons Research department said and moved on to the next subject. "As for other innovations, we have managed to replicate the shielding technology used by individual persons. Production is low so we only have models ready for elite forces."

"Impressive." Vader rumbled thoughtfully.

Thrawn's red eyes gazed at the projections and stopped on the image of a certain walker that he was familiar with.

"Isn't that the Arc Pulse Generator designed by Sabine Wren? I thought it was lost during the attack on governor Saxon's ship." He spoke up and watched the familiar walker that was shaped like an AT-DP but with special modifications.

"There were copies of the plans but we never saw much use for it anymore so it remained in our archives. But then we went to war with the UNSC and by my analysis it should work on the armor that their marines use. There are some major changes such as the inability to change the target of the weapon unless you dismantle it." Krennic acknowledged and explained.

The holoprojector shut off and the lights went on again. Palpatine smirked in pleasure and began chuckling.

"Well done director Krennic. I am most pleased with your results." The imperial monarch praised.

Krennic bowed deeply in respect and said gratefully, "Thank you, your majesty."

As the director took his place at the table again, Palpatine hummed in thought before addressing everyone.

"There is still much work to be done. The UNSC is pushing back and their allies, these Sangheili, are responsible for quite some losses." He began as his piercing yellow eyes glanced at the table's occupants.

"We have discovered the locations of multiple Sangheili worlds. An attack would stretch their forces thin." Vader proposed.

"True, but our forces are getting stretched thin as well. Admiral Monatt has told me about the need of more enforcers on captured territory. If we assign soldiers to guard duty then we will have less men to attack our foe. Which is why our dear admiral has made an intriguing proposal." The emperor said as he stared at the air before continuing. "He has come up with project Revival. The factories on Mechis III which produce droids will focus solely on battle droids. As much as their limited intelligence is a hindrance, they will be useful to support our troops. Besides, the more advanced battle droids will produce more results. Personally I dislike them but they will be necessary in our coming battles."

Vader hummed in thought and spoke up, "The UNSC has AIs to help them. They are able to hack our systems and would be able to hack the droids as well."

"I may have a solution to that." Thrawn interjected. "If done right, we can make it impossible for them to be reprogrammed unless you manually do so. The ISB came up with this security measure a while ago."

"Then it will happen." Palpatine said with an tone that stopped any arguments in the making. "Vader you will return to the front lines and keep up the good work. Director Krennic, you will go to Umbara and oversee the development of our new weapon. Send a prototype of the APG walker to our staging system as well for testing purposes. Mara, you will accompany the director and protect our interests for now. I have no doubt that the rebels might try something. As for you grand admiral, I am sending you to personally launch an assault on the Sangheili."

His subjects nodded their understanding which made the dark lord of the sith grin with malicious intent.

"Then go, and fulfill the tasks that I have given you."

* * *

 **Wild space**

 **Bakura system**

Dozens of small ships and starfighters exited hyperspace as soon as they arrived at their destination; the Bakura system in imperial space. Not many ships came here in wild space, not even most smugglers or criminals. There wasn't much to the isolated system actually. From all the eight planets it was only the planet Bakura that mattered the most. It was a beautiful planet and shared some qualities to the now nonexistent Alderaan. Its main exports were strategic minerals and repulsorlift coils or the namana fruit which was a local delicacy. Aside from the fruit, the empire had quite the interest in the minerals plus the coils for their tanks.

Yet there was something else about the imperial activities in the system. Over the past few weeks there had been an increase of ship movement through the sector. Sometimes it took over a week for a single ship to appear, other times only a day or two. The strangest part was the fact that the ships ranged from small cargo freighters to the large and intimidating Imperial-class star destroyer.

There was something going on out there, and the Alliance was going to find out.

The X-wings, A-wings and Y-wings flew a tight formation around the multiple corvettes and the lone EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate. A small portion of the small rebel fleet but it would still be a big blow if they lost the frigate. The rebels were understaffed and didn't have access to a lot of equipment.

"Are you still sure of this princess?"

Leia Organa, part of alliance high command and a prominent rebel leader, turned around and regarded the frigate's Mon Calamari captain with a serious expression. Captain Vix Werbuss was concerned about her presence on this mission due to the empire's latest assassination of another important rebel officer.

"I understand your concern captain but we cannot hide forever. This mission is of great importance and I assure you that I am not a stranger to combat." Leia reassured the old captain who simply gave a shrug.

"If that is what you wish milady." He relented and turned to his staff. "Any sign of the convoy?"

"Negative sir. Scanners aren't picking up anything." Someone reported from his station.

Werbuss sighed and leaned over the tactical map in the center of the bridge. "I hope our intel was correct. It will take only so much time before the empire finds out we're here."

"Our informant is one of our best agents captain." A blonde haired man spoke up from his side of the map. "During my days as an ISB agent I tried to apprehend him once but failed. He's a clever spy."

"I suppose that's somewhat reassuring, agent Kallus." The captain replied calmly.

Kallus nodded and looked at his datapad as Leia stared at the vast space outside. She was wondering about many things lately. Han was still a prisoner of Jabba and probably a slab of carbonite. Lando was working hard on getting him out of there but so far there were no clear opportunities. Apparently infiltrating a crime lord was harder than they had anticipated. And Luke? He was still on Dagobah learning how to become a better jedi. She missed them both, Luke as a brother and Han as someone she secretly loved immensely.

Leia shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was on a mission now and such musings would distract her.

"If I may ask," The captain suddenly spoke up with curiosity, "what is it exactly that we hope to find in this convoy? I am afraid I do not know all the details due to how sudden my crew and I were assigned this task."

"Of course you may captain." Leia answered with a small smile. "Alliance intelligence found out that the empire has been sending ships and troops to an unknown location in the unknown regions. At first we thought it was to subjugate a single world but then the troops kept going and going. With the amount of forces they have been moving we believe the imperials are fighting a war with someone. This convoy is coming from that location and perhaps we can finally find out what they have been doing these past months."

Kallus added his own two cents. "It might have to do with the sudden lack of Vader's presence. He has been notably absent and not much is known about his current endeavors."

Leia frowned at the mention of the emperor's second-in-command and repressed dark memories about him. She still had some nightmares about the events of the first death star. The dark lord's cold breathing and cruel torture. She loathed the man, no, the monster that was responsible for so much suffering.

"Contacts coming out of hyperspace!" A crew member yelled in warning, snapping her out of her negative thoughts.

"And so it begins." Kallus muttered as he focused on the ships that soon came out of FTL travel.

A lone Victory appeared alongside its escort that consisted out of two light cruisers and four Gozanti-class cruisers. One large provider-class cargo freighter sat in the middle of the formation and was their target. The imperials were already on the move though as they immediately tried to form a protective barrier around the cargo vessel.

"All fighter squadrons move in!" The captain barked his orders. "Bombers follow behind them and target the Victory. Helm move us forward and have the corvettes stay in formation with us. Prioritize their light frigates first."

"We will need to clear a path for our boarding parties." Kallus pointed out as his eyes darted over the tactical map that displayed their and the enemy's units.

"Then we'll make one." That captain stated determinately.

The numerous fighter wings of the rebellion took off towards the imperial ships that were already launching their own starfighters. The small cruisers' TIE fighters detached themselves before joining the ones that came out of the small hangar of the frigate. The two sides accelerated as they went to battle with each other.

"This is Feral squadron, we're moving in to engage those TIE interceptors." Feral one spoke in his commlink.

The X-wing with yellow paint on it was soon joined by four other X-wings as they flew in formation. An A-wing squadron joined them in their trajectory.

"Feral squadron this is Green squadron, we're moving in as well." The leader of the squadron told him over the comm channel.

"Roger that Green squadron. Let's give them everything we got!" The X-wing pilot said encouragingly.

The first volley was fired by the rebels as they all picked a target and pursued it. The TIE pilots saw the imminent threat and did some impressive maneuvers as they began their fight with the rebels.

Feral one pursed his lips together in a thin line as he flew behind a TIE interceptor that was doing its best to evade him. He opened fire but all of the red laser bolts missed the target as it spun around. Feral one didn't give up and kept on chasing his prey. The interceptor was fast, however he was not done yet. His starfighter spun around at his command and delivered another volley. This time the imperial pilot was unable to dodge as the interceptor took the full brunt of the X-wing's blaster cannons. The TIE interceptor's entire left wing was blown apart before the entire starfighter went up in flames.

"Feral two and four, form up on me." He called out to his fellow pilots who were available.

"Roger that Feral one." Number four replied after a moment.

"Understood." Said Feral two who assumed formation on his left.

The three X-wings sped off towards a group of interceptors that were harassing Green squadron. They simultaneously opened fire on their foes and cheered in delight as two of the imperial starfighters went down. The other interceptors, now aware of the other hostiles, changed tactics as they began performing stunts by using their superior speed. With some impressive maneuvers they managed to get behind an A-wing and blast it to smithereens before moving on to the next target.

"Feral squadron we're being picked off one by one. Requesting immediate assistance!" Green one pleaded over the comms as a green laser bolt hit his fighter but luckily failed to kill him.

"Copy that, we're moving in." Feral one replied and used his targeting computer on an interceptor.

The moment he locked on to the enemy starfighter he launched a pair of proton torpedoes. In a last ditch effort to shake off the missiles, the TIE pilot did a barrel roll but unfortunately for her she only dodged one of the torpedoes while the other slammed into her cockpit and blew the interceptor apart. Feral one grinned in delight as he flew past the wreckage of the destroyed starfighter.

The death of this particular pilot had an effect on the other interceptors as they were now less coordinated. The pilot he just killed must have been their squadron leader. Feral one didn't mourn the loss as he and the other rebel fighters made quick work of the remaining interceptors.

"I can't shake him off!" Feral three yelled fearfully before he was felled by the continuous laser fire barrage from an interceptor.

"Damn it." Feral one muttered as he silently made a quick prayer for his fallen teammate.

"Attention all wings, our Y-wing bombers are approaching the Victory-class star destroyer. Protect them at all cost." The flight coordinator said as she relayed the captain's orders.

"Hear that? Let's go protect the slowpokes." Feral one said with some jabbing at the slower bombers in the hope of alleviating the feelings of their recent loss.

"More TIEs to destroy." Feral five added with some amusement.

"Poor bastards can't see in those suits." Feral two spoke up as they all gathered around their leader.

The four X-wings accelerated while Green squadron dealt with some stragglers. Feral one narrowed his eyes as his radar picked up more TIE fighters headed their way. The Y-wing bombers were now on their left while a squadron of A-wings was flying in front of the bombers. The two light frigates were moving in the distance as their turbolasers began firing at the approaching rebel pilots. Explosions brightened the darkness of space as a result.

"Hang on, more TIE fighters at two o'clock. Couple of bombers as well." Feral one warned his fellow pilots.

The A-wings and X-wings opened fire at the same time as the TIE fighters when they got in firing range. Within only seconds more than a few lives were lost in the engagement. The TIE fighters were relentless in their attack as they carved a path straight to the bombers. The Y-wing bombers evaded as much as they could but truthfully there wasn't much they could do unless they broke off from their current path. Shooting back was the only thing they could do and even that proved to not have much effect.

Feral one banked hard as he dove downwards and intercepted a TIE fighter that was about to strike a blow to a Y-wing bomber.

"These guys are persistent." He grumbled and went after another one.

An A-wing above him exploded in a fiery ball of flames and wreckage after an imperial starfighter unleashed a torrent of laser fire. Just as casualties began piling up for the rebels, the corvettes interfered and turned their laser turrets towards the numerous TIE fighters. With the additional support from their ships the rebels effectively fended off the aggressors as the bombers approached their target.

The Victory defiantly fired everything it had from turbolasers to concussion missiles to protect itself from the rebel starfighters. Two bombers died in the approach but many made it out alive as they came in range.

"Preparing payload." The Y-wing bomber squadron leader announced over the comms.

Each bomber pilot started flipping switches as they armed their payload. The Y-wings fanned out as they came closer and closer to the imperial frigate.

Feral one grinned as the Y-wing bombers finally dropped their bombs. The blue explosives shot towards the hull of the ship and soon detonated. The explosions were bright, flashy and effective as the shields were nullified and the armor caved in. The ship was nowhere near being destroyed but it was now officially disabled. The engines flared once, twice, thrice before dying out. All the turbolasers fell silent as it was now without any power. There was no doubt that the engineers aboard were rushing to get everything working again but they would be too late to stop the rebels.

Leia smiled as she saw the Victory-class star destroyer drift lazily in front of them.

"Looks like we came through." Kallus smiled in relief as he stood at her side.

"But we're not there yet." Leia told him to which he nodded solemnly.

Kallus walked over the communication station and activated a comm channel. "General Syndulla you are cleared for departure. Good luck out there."

"Understood, we're heading out now." The green Twi'lek replied over the comms.

Within seconds a modified VCX-100 light freighter exited the ship's hangar bays followed by three U-wings. The four ships sped off towards the cargo ship carrying the rebel boarding parties. The engines of the transports roared as the crafts flew through the vastness of space.

"All U-wings on me. The Ghost will lead the way." General Syndulla ordered the three U-wing pilots.

The three rebel gunships acknowledged and fell in line behind the larger ship. Each and every one of them had many rebels soldiers inside who were ready to board the cargo vessel before it could flee. Some TIE fighters spotted them and instantly moved to intercept. Green laser bolts whizzed past the rebel craft as the TIEs commenced their attack. The Ghost, which had turrets that could be manned, returned fire and blasted more than one imperial starfighter apart. Luckily they didn't stand alone against the TIE fighters as a couple of A-wings chased the imperials away. One of the imperial light cruisers targeted the Ghost but a combination of Y-wing bombers and X-wing starfighters neutralized the turbolasers before a corvette turned its attention to the imperial ship.

"TIEs coming from above!" Hera warned her crew as she saw two fighters approaching the Ghost.

"I got them!" Zeb Orrelios declared and quickly aimed the barrels of his gun at them.

The turret shot a few laser bolts and before the TIEs even passed them they were already taken out of commission. Zeb chuckled in delight at the sight of wrecked TIE fighters. Hera on the other hand was more focused on evading laser fire coming from the last light cruiser.

"Phoenix squadron, I could use some help over here." She spoke into the comms while being hit by a stray laser bolt. Luckily the shields of her ship held out so there was no serious damage.

"Roger that Phoenix leader." Someone replied over the comm channel.

Moments later an A-wing shot past and fired at a TIE bomber. The bomber didn't see the rebel fighter coming and fell victim to a concussion missile. It blew up the left side of the imperial craft, fire spreading towards the munitions in a split second before it exploded entirely. The A-wing slowed down and flew at the Ghost's side to escort it further towards the target.

"Is everyone ready down there? We're almost at our destination." Hera yelled at the small hole in the back of the cockpit.

Numerous rebels dressed in combat uniform checked their blaster rifles a last time as the space battle raged on. Captain Rex, a clone veteran and one of the few clones to have been spared of order 66, patted his blaster pistols.

"We're ready!" He yelled back and turned towards the Mandalorian girl at his side.

Sabine Wren who was part of the Phoenix cell checked her explosives that were strapped to the old but colorful Mandalorian armor. She was doing a few last checks before putting on her helmet and grabbing her blasters.

"How much explosives do you have there?" Rex wondered with a small grin.

Sabine grinned back at him behind her helmet. After fighting alongside his brothers and practically growing up with the helmets, Rex was skilled in picking up on subtle signs that betrayed a person's facial expression when wearing a helmet. He knew she was grinning at him which made him chuckle.

"Let's just say it's enough to topple even a walker." The Mandalorian girl replied.

Rex nodded and put on his own helmet. "Good to hear."

"Thirty seconds!" Hera announced loudly.

The rebel soldiers silenced at the news and they all grabbed their weapons. Soon they would storm the imperial ship to find the intel before leaving it. Rex felt the comfortable weight of his dual pistols in his hands that served him well. Most of the men aboard were veterans and the former clone captain knew they were reliable. They'd all fought together before, and they would most certainly do it again. Sabine would move up with him once inside and followed by a few more of his fellow freedom fighters he would lead the way for the rest.

The Ghost shook as it neared the cargo freighter. There were no defenses installed on the ship but there were still some TIE fighters flying around. It would be embarrassing for any rebel pilot to die by a stray laser bolt from some straggling TIE fighter.

Hera slowed down as the Ghost finally entered the ship's large hangar. She was inside for only two seconds before laser fire began slamming against the Ghost's shielded hull. Storm troopers were firing their blasters but lacked turrets. It was clear that they hadn't anticipated a boarding party but the amount of troopers, which was larger than expected, was an indication that something inside was very important to the empire.

Hera wasted no time and returned fire with the Ghost's nose gun while the U-wings landed. The other rebel transports landed horizontally before the doors opened up revealing groups of rebel soldiers. The troopers all took a step back as the Ghost's guns forced them to seek cover. Meanwhile the rebels poured out of their crafts and aimed their weapons as well. One storm trooper with a rocket launcher stepped out of cover and shot a rocket towards one of the U-wings. The pilot inside widened his eyes as he screamed for the men to get out. It struck the transport and killed not only the pilot but two more rebels as well.

Rex rushed out of the Ghost as he squeezed the triggers of his pistols. Sabine joined in and together they killed off three troopers before jumping behind cover. All around them the rebels advanced forward with weapons ranging from lighter blasters to even heavy blasters. Sabine grabbed one of her explosives before throwing it at the imperials. The troopers ran away from the grenade but died in the explosion or at the hands of rebel soldiers.

"B squad to the left, D squad to the right, everyone else through the middle." Rex said as he issued commands to the boarding party.

He rose from behind his cover and neatly put a smoking hole in a trooper's chest as he headed towards a pair of crates that would act as his next cover.

"Rex, I'm pulling out for now. I can't risk getting hit by a rocket." Hera told him over the comms.

Rex looked back at the hovering Ghost and replied quickly, "Understood. Stay safe out there."

The Ghost tilted to its side as Hera steered the ship out of the hangar bay. The storm troopers who now didn't have to worry about its blaster cannons anymore rose from cover as well. They were relentless in their defense as they pulled out heavy weapons. One of them even wielded a rotary blaster cannon that forced the rebels to halt.

Rex growled in annoyance at their new obstacle. He peeked over his cover to look at the imperial before turning towards Sabine.

"Sabine can you take him out? Try getting the high ground by using that jetpack of yours." He asked her and pointed at the mentioned equipment.

Sabine nodded as she tapped on her vambraces. She flew upwards drawing the attention from a few troopers but they were soon felled by Rex who covered her to the best of his ability. The Mandalorian rebel aimed her wrist weapons at the heavy trooper before launching a wrist rocket. The heavy trooper had only a second to look up before being completely obliterated by the explosive.

With the suppressive fire gone and the high ground advantage, the rebel soldiers quickly resumed their advance as they opened fire again. More than a few of them died in the process but for every man or woman they lost, the imperials lost more.

Rex ran forward through the laser fire and slammed his shoulder into an unsuspecting storm trooper. The trooper fell in his back before Rex stomped his armored boot on the trooper's neck, crushing the man's windpipe in the process. He aimed his pistols and with immense precision of a true veteran he landed a few shots on the nearby storm troopers. His hearing was not affected by his old age, so he heard an imperial try to sneak up on him from behind. The captain ducked when the trooper fired a shot and he retaliated successfully by firing his own weapon. Rex nodded to himself as the dead soldier collapsed on the ground and moved on.

Meanwhile Sabine was causing mayhem from the air. Aside from her skills with her own dual blasters she was also dropping bombs left and right. The storm troopers were getting more and more frustrated with the living bomber flying over their heads. Shooting her out of the air proved to be more difficult than they had expected since it meant that the rebels on the ground would face less resistance. Sabine saw a trio of troopers close to each other and threw another one of her special bombs. Not a single trooper was still alive after the grenade went off.

"Rex I think I see a hole in their line on our left." Sabine informed the clone while flying around.

Rex looked over a crate to spot it. Sabine was right it seemed, few troopers guarded that position. If his men took that point then it would collapse the imperial line of defense.

"I see it." He replied and accessed their wide comm channel. "Listen up! The imps on the left are almost done for. Push one more time, as hard as you can, and the hangar will be ours."

A group of rebels ran towards the imperials' position with their blaster rifles spewing out bolt after bolt in an attempt to overwhelm their foes. Rex mentally cheered them on and was rewarded by a sight that made him grin. Storm troopers were running away towards other positions, either towards the remaining troopers or towards the exit, while rebel soldiers marched on.

"Focus fire on the ones in the middle!" Rex yelled and fired a laser bolt into an imperial's head.

The flanking maneuvers of the rebels eventually caused the imperials to either die fighting or surrender. Rex left two teams behind to secure the hangar and guard their prisoners while he and the others went deeper inside the ship.

"Which way Sabine?" Rex asked as he cautiously walked through the corridor.

Sabine was right behind him as were a dozen rebels. Their rifles were all raised and ready to fire at the slightest sign of a storm trooper.

"The bridge is further up ahead but the cargo hold is on the next turn to the right." The young Mandalorian replied while looking at the schematics of the ship.

"Alright then. Group B with me and Sabine to secure the cargo hold. The rest of you will take the bridge." Rex instructed them.

The rebels acknowledged his orders and while most of them headed towards the small bridge, the others including Rex and Sabine turned right. For some time they met no resistance at all. It was as if the hallways were devoid of life. The initial battle in the hangar had resulted in a lot of storm trooper casualties but surely there were more around.

Rex was frowning as he turned around a corner but quickly rolled out of the way as laser fire erupted from the other side. He pressed his back to the wall as did the rebels behind him. From what he had just seen indicated there were four storm troopers at the end of the corridor with little to no cover.

He gestured towards Sabine to return fire on his mark. The young freedom fighter nodded and waited for his signal. Rex counted off on his fingers before spinning around the corner in sync with Sabine. Both of them fired the moment they had targets in sight and successfully downed all four troopers.

"Pretty good." Sabine complimented him before adding teasingly, "For an old man, that is."

"Very funny." Rex deadpanned while grinning slightly.

They moved on and soon reached the door that would lead to the cargo hold. There were no guard left and the other rebels were already in control of the bridge. Rex crouched before fiddling with the control panel.

"Could there be an ambush waiting for us behind that door?" Sabine asked him while the others steeled themselves for breaching the hold.

"Possibly." Rex answered while sounding as if he had encountered this a lot. "But I don't think so. Storm troopers aren't really smart like that. If there are still guards in there then they'll be either scared or special ops."

"Gee, that's reassuring." Sabine said sarcastically while throwing her hands in the air.

Rex chuckled in reply. "Hey, you asked."

He fiddled some more with the cables of the lock when it suddenly made a clicking noise and the door opened up. The rebels made their way through with raised blasters but what they found was not something they expected. It was a very imperial thing to do alright but still a surprise nonetheless.

Prisoners.

There were cages with at least six humans in each. There must have been over a dozen of them too. The men and women inside all had similar clothing or body armor. Some had grey uniforms while the others had white but most of them wore fatigues. The rebels ignored them for a few moments as they checked if the area was truly clear before lowering their weapons.

"What is all of this?" Sabine wondered aloud.

"I guess these are some prisoners that the empire captured in their war."

Rex approached the nearest cage and took of his helmet. "Who is the highest ranking officer among you?"

The humans looked at each other in confusion and other similar expressions before a man in his fifties stepped forward.

"That would be me. Colonel Oliver of the UEG army corps." The man replied with a wary gaze. "And who are you?"

Sabine and Rex looked at each other before Rex turned back to the man behind the bars and sighed.

"That's going to take a while to explain."

* * *

 **Thanks to,**

 **Mandalore the Freedom for the OC.**

 **Sigmamaxis450 for the AT-MAP design.**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Because of an increase in work it will be some time before an update comes. I'll try to get the next chapter ready before my exams but don't expect it.**

 **Another thing I want to say, this one about Battlefront II, I think it's not a bad game (I'm not even starting with EA's fiasco) but that campaign started so well and dropped so low as it went on. Let me tell you this, Iden Versio and Inferno Squad will appear in this story. But she will** _ **not**_ **join the rebel scum!**

 **Anyway, here's chapter 11.**

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Bridge**

"Infinity cannot handle that kind of punishment… not again." Del Rio stated gravely while glaring at the AI and the Spartan who didn't budge.

"This isn't about us or this ship anymore." Cortana pleaded forcefully as she tried to convince the captain.

Chief joined in and told him, "Sir, we've seen what the Didact is capable of. If we let him leave this world, humanity will be at risk."

"Look… I understand what you think you saw." Del Rio said as he crossed his arms behind his back in annoyance.

"Think?!" Cortana cried out in anger and surprise at how the captain questioned her Spartan.

"With all due respect, sir… I know what I saw." Master Chief responded with more restraint than his rampant partner. He noticed her condition was getting worse and her outbursts more frequent.

Del Rio snarled and approached the Chief angrily as he spoke, "And with all due respect to you soldier, I'm not willing to jeopardize my ship because of the hallucinations of an aging Spartan and his malfunctioning AI." The captain stopped to look coldly at the orange visor of the larger man in front of him.

Seeing that the situation was turning in the wrong direction, Lasky quickly tried to make peacemaker between the two. A part of him told him that he should trust his commanding officer but the other and dominant part of him told him to trust the legendary Spartan.

"Sir… what if he is right? Even if the Didact is nothing but some hallucination, we still have Covenant forces here. Not only that but they seem to be working alongside these Prometheans. If we leave now they might gather more of these machines and attack a colony with them, or worse." Lasky said as he tried to change his captain's mind. Del Rio was silent and appeared to be thinking deeply.

Lasky looked over to Palmer who looked back at him. As their gazes met she saw the pleading in the man's eyes and decided to go with her gut feeling. The same one that not only kept her alive as a soldier but also told her that the Spartan II was right.

"Sir, I have to agree with commander Lasky and Sierra-117." She spoke up gaining the attention of the thoughtful captain. "The _Infinity_ has seen a lot of damage but she's the navy's flagship for a reason. We have the troops for an attack and Spartans to clear the way."

"But the ship is in no condition to fight them head-on." Del Rio rebuked in annoyance.

"Let us go ahead then." Chief proposed. "We can deal with the Covenant and Prometheans with our ground forces while the _Infinity_ attacks the Didact's ship."

Del Rio shook his head firmly. "We still have those covenant warships to worry about. Those cruisers will take advantage of our weakened state and sink the ship before we even get a shot at the Didact."

"What if we didn't have to worry about them?"

The four humans all turned to Cortana who had a thoughtful look on her projected face. She didn't seem to be suffering a rampancy attack, which was something the Chief was glad for. He also recognized that tone. Cortana had an idea, one that might be the foundation of their victory.

"Explain." The captain ordered as he kept his cold gaze on the AI.

"We're not the only ones here who have been suffering at the hands of the Didact and his forces. The empire still has ships left along with a large amount of fighter and bomber support. If we somehow made them attack the Didact while he is still on Requiem, we might be able to defeat them. Even he cannot ignore two parties that attack him." Cortana told them her idea. As ludicrous as it sounded, because there was no way the empire would agree to fight alongside them, it had some merit.

"An interesting suggestion." Del Rio admitted more relaxed now but still rather tense. "However, you do forget that the empire is our enemy as well. I fail to see how we can convince them to aid us. In fact, I'd rather not work with them."

"No one said we would ask them." Cortana retorted and her avatar slightly glitched. Chief noticed it but luckily it was so hard to see unless you had a Spartan's vision.

Palmer slightly frowned but stayed silent.

"What if we forced them against each other?" Lasky said with some hope.

"And how would we do that?" Del Rio scoffed as he crossed his arms again.

Chief pondered slightly on what the Didact's goals were and his personality. The Forerunner was hellbent on destroying humanity, arrogant and very dangerous. His goal was the composer, the machine he was going to use to eradicate humanity. The imperials on the other hand had little knowledge on him or the Forerunners. If this was their first Forerunner discovery then they would stay but get a message out.

"Do long range communications work from inside the planet?" He asked Cortana.

The avatar of the AI shook her head in response. "Only short range to ships around the planet. Why?"

"The empire will contact their fleet command. To do that they would have to leave the planet." Chief answered her.

Lasky picked up on his train of thoughts and added, "So in other words, they'll head towards the exit which is currently occupied by both covenant and Promethean forces."

Chief nodded in confirmation. Palmer whistled at the thought of her enemies fighting each other.

"So we don't have to do anything to get them to fight each other." The Spartan IV said. "But how do we know when they'll strike? Actually, whether they will attack the Didact at all."

Del Rio stayed silent for once as he slowly paced around the table deep in thought. Seeing that the man could be convinced, Lasky gave his own idea. This was his chance to help the Master Chief and he was not going to waste it.

"They don't know the Didact. They do know the Covenant. If they knew who he really is and the danger of the Prometheans then they would not attack so rapidly. Not even we truly know how powerful he is except for the Chief. Imperials are dominant and aggressive, they won't back down against their foes." The XO said as he gave his own arguments with passion. "It will only be a matter of time before they attack. If we do damage to the Didact's defenses it would attract the attention of the imperials. It's a fact that their officers are opportunists."

"That's true." Palmer agreed as she recalled her own experiences with imperial officers on the battlefield.

"Alright, let's say that the imperials will launch their own attack. They would still need coaxing as you say and as I have stated before, the _Infinity_ cannot take another hit." Del Rio rebuked grimly.

Cortana almost threw her hands in the air, so to speak, at the man's stubbornness and ignorance.

"Sir, that is where the Spartans come in." The Master Chief stated though the thought of acknowledging the IVs as true Spartans was still something he had trouble with. "We can infiltrate the enemy's forward defenses and sabotage them. A few well-placed and well-timed explosions would certainly give the empire an opportunity."

Del Rio frowned in distaste as he kept his gaze on the visor of the large Spartan. There was animosity coming from the man accompanied with bitter resentment. Lasky looked almost pleadingly while Palmer also kept her gaze on the captain's back. The silence stretched on until the officer finally made up his mind.

"Very well Master Chief." Del Rio almost spat out the words. "You and a strike force will infiltrate and sabotage the covenant air and ground defenses. However, if the empire doesn't launch an assault on our foe then I will call off the operation and we'll escape on our own. Without chasing after this so-called 'Didact'."

"Yes sir." Chief replied automatically.

The captain nodded and turned to Lasky. "Since this is partially your idea, I will entrust the planning to you commander."

"Understood captain." Lasky nodded respectfully but with slight disdain that he concealed.

The doors of the bridge closed as the man left them alone. A short silence remained but it was quickly broken by an agitated Cortana.

"The nerve of that man! Does he even care? OF COURSE HE DOESN'T!" She ranted and glowed red at the end of her shouting.

"Cortana." Chief gently admonished as he looked at her.

The blue AI looked ashamed and gave a quiet apology. Palmer and Lasky exchanged worried looks but didn't mention what they just saw. Lasky sighed before using the table's projector to bring up a precise projection of the Covenant's current position.

"Well I guess we're lucky I sent out some of our drones to recon ahead." Lasky said as the terrain appeared in the form of a hologram. It showed a few mountains with snowy peaks and one large Forerunner construct in the ground between them. It was round in shape and looked like a cylinder. A group of covenant cruisers floated above it along with the Didact's satellite in the middle.

Palmer looked at the ships that were lazily drifting beside each other and snorted. "We'll definitely need the imps for this. The captain was unfortunately right about the ship's condition."

"We'll make it work." Chief said reassuringly even though his voice was as flat as usual.

"Our drones were unable to go far but the information they gathered, along with our scans, gives us a rough view of what our enemy has in store for us. They have positioned their ground forces at the two passages that lead towards the construct. Any other way would be by going over those jagged mountains. They placed towers, walls, barricades and other defensive equipment. There are three Tyrants placed deeper into covenant territory but luckily they placed them close to the mountains." Lasky said as he pointed at the various defenses that the Covenant had created.

"A strike force would be able to travel through the mountains, evading patrols, set explosives and get out safely." Cortana spoke up much calmer now.

"They'll have troops patrolling the mountains but they'll be small groups. Nothing that we can't take out silently." Palmer added.

Lasky nodded at their idea. "Once the charges are set we'll have to deal with those other defenses. One of the drones picked up the position of a covenant airfield not too far from the guns. They've landed Banshees, Phantoms, Seraphs and even a few of their new Liches. Causing havoc and eliminating their pilots would help us in the long run as well."

"Taking them all out will be difficult but we'll manage." Chief stated confidently.

"What about when the explosives detonate?" Palmer asked. "It'll take time for the empire to come after the Covenant when they're weakened. The Covenant will shake off their surprise and reorganize their troops for an incoming attack."

Lasky thought about it for a moment. "Well, we could create a distraction. We have some operational Mammoths left to besiege them. We also have enough marines and armor to protect them. The only problem I see is the fact that there are just too many cruisers. They'll barrage us and we will be helpless to stop them unless the _Infinity_ provides long-range support. " The XO said and sighed deeply. "In the end, it's all about whether or not the empire shows up or not."

"They'll show up. Drone reports suggest that they are organizing an excursion of sorts. Their ships are dividing up into groups and their ground forces are gearing up." Cortana spoke up as she brought up live feeds brought to them by the unmanned drones. "Their assault might commence sooner than we even hoped for."

Lasky nodded as he took in the news. "Guess that's that. I'll work out the more specific details of the plan. In the meanwhile, Chief, you should head down to the armory and gear up for the op. Palmer will gather some of her best IVs to aid you."

Chief gave a short salute out of respect, something he hadn't done for Del Rio, and retrieved Cortana before he walked away. Lasky gazed at the form of the Spartan II before the legendary soldier left the bridge as well.

"So," Palmer spoke up while sending messages to her Spartans on a datapad, "is he like you thought he would be?"

Lasky thought back to when the Master Chief had rescued him from a certain death at the hands of the genocidal Covenant empire all those years ago. He remained silent for a few seconds as he pondered on his expectations. The answer was rather simple though.

"No, he is so much more."

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Covenant occupied mountains**

 **Western ridge**

 _Investigate the enemy's position and sabotage their defenses. Move in quietly and extract equally as quiet. Assassinate any officers you find and take if possible prisoners. – Operative Axis_

"He makes it sound so easy." A trooper clad in black and yellow armor, while a white coat completely covered his armor so he would blend in with the snowy terrain, muttered as he recited the squad's orders.

"Tell me, why are we assigned to this nerfherder?" A woman in the same outfit asked sarcastically.

The third trooper turned away from the view of the darkened landscape they got from atop the mountain ridge and stared at them through the black helmet. The three individuals were the only ones with their distinctive armor while the nine storm commandos stayed on guard around them. Their armor was the standard black, modified scout trooper outfit. There were no noticeable changes except for the white cloaks they wore for camouflage.

The three nova troopers on the other hand had a few modifications.

The man who had just taken another look at their orders had a backpack of sorts. It was full with explosives of many kinds ranging from simple grenades to proton charges. There were a few extra yellow markings on his chest armor but aside from that there was nothing peculiar about it. He carried two blaster pistols with him, each strapped to a thigh, and in his hands a DLT-19D heavy blaster rifle. The weapon was usually associated with the secretive death troopers but not exclusive to them alone. His skills were most useful as a bomb specialist and a CQC specialist.

The sole female of the group was slightly shorter but equally imposing. The yellow lines on her armor gave off the impression that she had a skull for a face. An attachment was placed onto the right side of her helmet which aided her in using her weapon; a DLT-19X targeting rifle. The sniper wielding trooper also had an EE-4 blaster rifle strapped to her left leg while a 10 inch vibroknife was attached to the left side of her chest armor. On her left arm was a device similar to the UNSC's TACPAD and an ID10 seeker droid rested on her back. Her skills were most useful as a sniper and a tech specialist.

Lastly there was their leader. His armor remained mostly original except for the rangefinder attached to his helmet, a jump pack on his back and the extra shoulder armor on his left shoulder marking his position as a commanding officer. He was the only one to have a single weapon and that was the E-22 blaster rifle. He too had a vibroknife but it rested on his right shoulder.

"Because the brass ordered us to. No one likes him, not even the vice-admiral, but we'll have to bear his idiocy." Their leader told them. "Dusk two, what is your assessment of the terrain?"

The sniper of the team shrugged and said, "The ridge is stable enough. We can rappel down and make our way to that cannon they've placed."

And indeed, the Covenant had placed a large artillery cannon on the high ground of the mountain they were on. It had a good view over the large cylinder-like structure and the other structures. Because of this advantage, the Covenant thought it would be a good idea to set up the plasma cannon there. However, they had clearly disregarded the possibility of a small group sneaking up on them from above. It was only the cannon and two buildings though, both of them being barracks, and then a small barricade at the camp's entrance.

"Then we'll move out. Dusk three you will guide your team towards the cannon and sabotage it. Dusk two you will move with your own troopers towards the barracks and eliminate anyone in there. I will take care of the others at the front. Make sure you don't get spotted." Dusk one ordered.

The two nova troopers nodded and called for their assigned storm commandos while their leader gathered his own. The black armored commandos silently followed their officers to the ridge. Everyone grabbed their grappling hooks and secured them, doublechecking it as well so no one would fall down, before climbing down the mountain. They did so carefully as not to make any noise or cause accidents.

Dusk one slowed his descent as he neared the ground. There were only a few guards at the entrance and there were no other soldiers nearby which meant that they would not be missed soon.

The squad leader softly touched down as he landed and unclipped the line attached to his belt. The three storm commandos that were accompanying him landed only a few seconds later and did the same as he did. With a few silent gestures they coordinates with each other as they moved towards the barricades in a tight formation. Dusk one took the lead followed by two of the commandos and the last one who covered their rear.

Two Grunts were happily chatting away with each other some distance away from the main barricade. Their plasma pistols were holstered and they made extravagant motions with their arms as they flailed the appendages around. They were completely oblivious to the presence of the imperial infiltrators.

Dusk one motioned for one of the commandos to come with him and take the targets out. The imperial nodded in reply and together they sneaked towards the Grunts. The covenant soldiers were rather shocked to be talking with each other for quite some time and then to have suddenly four hands reach out from the darkness. Their cries were muffled as they were dragged behind the rocks and had their necks snapped in one quick move.

With the two obstacles neutralized, the four commandos continued onwards. There were two Jackal snipers, with each one of them having a watch tower all to their own, who were keeping an eye out from above. The passage towards the camp itself was blocked by three defense barriers and two plasma turrets. Most of the guards were Grunts, around six of them, then three Jackal marksmen and two Elite minors who were in charge of them.

The nova trooper observed them for a while longer before coming up with a plan. He turned towards the three waiting commandos behind him and quickly told them what to do. They nodded in confirmation as they spread out.

Dusk one silently walked behind one of the Jackals who was looking around. The alien twitched as he seemed to hear something. Suspicion being the Jackal's motivation, he spun around with his carbine raised. No one was behind him which relieved the guard of his worry. He didn't see the trooper creeping up at his side though and was unprepared when the nova trooper stabbed his knife in the alien's throat. The guard choked on his own blood before he died quietly.

Satisfied with the clean and silent kill, dusk one quickly dragged the body behind one of the many rocks before moving on. The two Elites were standing together as they talked with each other in their own native language. Dusk one simply regarded them while he reached three of the Grunts who were fast asleep. He snapped their necks fast and hid the bodies while staying hidden from the guards up in the watch towers.

The imperial picked up one of the plasma pistols, thinking it might be useful in the future, and passed the dead Grunts. He made his way past one of the barricades and neared one of the watch towers. He stopped when he was close enough before waiting. After some seconds that he spent staying hidden and on his guard, he received an acknowledgement from one of the storm commandos. He returned the message and stepped into the gravity lift at the same time as his subordinate did. The two imperial infiltrators ascended as they entered the watch towers. Both of the Jackal snipers were too engrossed in their work to watch out for any threats from far away that they didn't notice the ones right behind them. The two bird-like aliens soon died with slashed throats and their corpses rested on the cold purple floor of their lookout posts.

The sound of chattering caught dusk one's attention as he turned his gaze towards the way that it came from. He peeked over the tower's railing and spotted the two Elites. They were still talking with each other, their weapons in a relaxed position, as they neared the tower. Seeing a possible opportunity he quickly sent a comm to one of his troopers.

The two Sangheili warriors were chatting about their leader's new position as the revered Didact's second-in-command and since there was no way an enemy was nearby they thought they could spent their time doing this. Both of them were actually relatively young in Sangheili standards, their lack of attentiveness a result of that, and were just lowly minors. Dusk one didn't understand a word of their conversation but it didn't matter that much to him. The two alien soldiers stopped in front of the tower and stood there, continuing their little talk. It was when the nova trooper received a ping of his subordinate that he sprang into action, literally.

He carefully jumped off the tower and landed right on top of one of the guards. The startled and surprised covenant soldiers were too shocked to react immediately which was their downfall. The storm commando who had been hiding behind them moved in as well after his commanding officer's action. He pulled out his own knife and stabbed the still standing guard in the neck while dusk one did the same to the other, only stabbing this one in the eye. As the guard beneath the nova trooper died instantly, the other slumped to the ground and perished shortly after.

"Well done men. The area is secured." Dusk one spoke up when they confirmed all the targets were eliminated.

The storm commandos nodded in reply and waited for their new instructions.

The nova trooper pressed two fingers on his helmet's comm and contacted his squad. "Dusk one to dusk two and three, the entrance has been secured. What's your status?"

Dusk three was the first to reply. "All hostiles have been neutralized. I'm setting the charges on this cannon right now."

"Copy that. Dusk two?"

The only female of the group kicked a dead Grunt away as her commandos checked the building they were in. She sheathed her knife and answered the comms.

"The first building has been cleared. I'm moving on to the next." She replied while waving her subordinates over.

"Understood. Move in quickly, there's bound to be someone who will start looking. Dusk three you will continue setting those explosives. I'll stay here at the front gate." Her leader ordered her and the rest.

"Affirmative sir." She told him with a hidden smile as she sneaked towards the barracks.

Not a single guard was outside, all of them probably asleep inside, which made things much easier for her. Dusk two halted in front of the building's door and gestured to her troops to do the same. While they took positions to guard her she quickly activated her seeker droid. The droid's lone red optic turned on and it unhooked itself from the commando's back.

"Infiltrate the building and show me what's inside." She ordered the small droid.

It gave a hum of acknowledgement before it ascended into the air. It stopped at an air duct and hovered there while cutting it open. Once it finished the job it entered the narrow passage and continued its path. After a short while it found a hatch that gave a good view of the room beneath it. Just like the previous building, this one had a large room that acted as sleeping quarters for the lower ranked soldiers. Grunts and Jackals were resting on their cots while the Elites were most likely upstairs. There were two doors, one that would lead towards the mess hall and one that gave way to the staircase. Not a single Grunt or Jackal was awake which suited the imperial troopers' needs quite well.

Dusk two recalled her droid as she shut off the live feed. While the droid returned to her she shifted her attention to the commandos.

"They're all asleep. Just like last time, we move in fast and silently dispose of them. Be careful of any surprises." She instructed them.

"Yes ma'am." They replied in unison.

When the small droid came back and reattached itself to the nova trooper they opened the door and moved inside. Their steps were barely heard as they sneaked towards the beds that were occupied by covenant soldiers. The Grunts were making quiet noises like soft snoring or an occasional giggle caused by whatever they were dreaming of. Jackal soldiers on the other hand almost looked like they were dead, they made not a single noise in their sleep except for when they shifted their positions slightly.

Dusk two made her way to the left side with a commando in tow. She unsheathed her vibroknife and grinned as she found her first target; a Grunt major. The smaller lifeform was blissfully unaware of her presence and continued dreaming of happy places. Dusk two ended those dreams as she slit his throat. The body went limp as the life of the Unggoy was swiftly extinguished. The nova trooper didn't bother wiping the blood off since she had many more targets to go.

They worked silently and efficiently, killing any covenant soldier they found asleep. Only one of them had stirred up until now. A Jackal had somehow heard them and woke up only to see two black armored humans looking down on him. Before the soldier could even make a single sound he found his beak shut tight by one of the assassins. His eyes widened in shock and fear as the other one readied his knife. The corpse slumped against the cot as blood flowed freely.

Dusk two was just about to kill one of the last Grunts when one of the doors opened. She looked up and made eye contact with an Elite ultra who was flanked by two minors. The Sangheili warriors' mandibles flared in surprise before hell broke loose.

The Elites roared in anger and warning as they reached out for their weapons. The Grunt woke with a squealing noise but he was quickly silenced by the nova trooper. Unfortunately there were more Grunts who woke up along with two Jackals and while the smaller covenant soldiers were in disarray, the Jackal mercenaries were quick on their feet.

One of the storm commandos parried a punch from one of the Jackals by leaning to the side. The Jackal squawked at him but the commando simply rammed his elbow in the bird-like alien's gut. With a heavy grunt the mercenary took the hit but dodged a right hook from the imperial. Using the natural agility of his species, the Jackal swiped with his claws but it only scratched the black armor. Seeing an opening to strike, the imperial storm commando punched his foe in the face before pulling out his knife and stabbing the covenant soldier's torso. The Jackal cried out in pain before going limp and dying with the weapon still in his chest.

Meanwhile, dusk two rolled away as plasma bolts struck her previous position. She let out a grunt as she pressed her back to a bed and kept her head low. She gazed at the commandos and saw that the few Grunts and Jackals were dealt with. She switched her sniper rifle for her blaster rifle and rose from cover before firing a few bursts. An Elite minor yelled out in pain as his shields burst and a laser bolt slammed into his gut. The large imposing alien dropped his weapon and fell down on the violet floor.

The ultra roared in anger once more and fired at the nova trooper. She was forced to seek cover again while plasma flew over her head. The storm commandos returned fire with their own blasters but the two surviving Elites kept them pinned.

"Droid, shock them." Dusk two commanded swiftly.

The small droid on her back detached itself and flew past the bed she was hiding behind. It hovered towards its targets undetected as it prepared its tiny arms for the electrical discharge. The Elite minor kept on firing at the human infiltrators but spotted something on his left side. He turned his head around but didn't seize fire and saw a small machine with a bright red eye staring at him. Before he could even say something the droid attacked with its shock feature.

Shields overloaded as a result and the minor soon found himself twitching as the electricity coursed through his body. It took only a fraction of a second for the electrical discharge to pass on to the ultra who was standing right next to the minor. He too soon shook as his shields popped and his body spasmed. Their rifles were still clutched in their hands but were now silent as the owners groaned in pain.

Dusk two gave the sign to the storm commandos and all together they ended the two Elites with their blaster rifles.

"Dusk two, I heard something coming from your position. Are you compromised?" Dusk one asked over the comms while the female nova trooper walked over the still twitching corpse of the ultra.

"Situation has been solved sir. Some of the lizards came out of nowhere but they're dead now. Scans indicate the building is clear." She answered with the help of her droid's scan results.

"Understood. Grab any intel you can find and link up with dusk three. I'll be there shortly." Came her leader's response.

"Roger that." She replied and turned to her commandos. "Search for intel and bring it to me."

The troopers spread out as did she. They searched containers, personal belongings and even the fresh corpses. They found some sort of datapad on the ultra and another one upstairs in the Elites' quarters which should have at least some useful information on them. Aside from these two finds they managed to gather a few more things that had some use.

A few minutes later dusk two walked towards the large artillery cannon where dusk three was sitting on a Sangheili corpse. The alien's mandibles were wide open revealing the rows of sharp teeth but the facial expression was one of disbelief and shock, something that satisfied the nova trooper.

"Had enough fun with the hingeheads?" The saboteur asked as he examined a plasma rifle.

"A few of them spotted us. Just a stroke of luck for them though. It didn't last long."

Her team mate snorted and shook his head in amusement. "Of course it didn't."

"All right everyone, report." Their leader spoke up as he too joined them.

"I've got some datapads and other trinkets. Nothing else of notice."

"Cannon's rigged to blow at your command."

Dusk one nodded contently. "Well done. Prepare to move towards the extraction point. Vice-admiral Raduss will begin his attack shortly."

The other nova troopers complied and prepared to leave with their storm commandos in tow but suddenly their comms rang. The elite imperial troopers looked at each other in confusion. The vice-admiral had explicitly stated that having no contact with the fleet was paramount to the success of their infiltration. Why would their commanding officer suddenly change that?

Nevertheless they had to comply. The nova trooper team leader answered his comm as he pulled out his holocommunicator. A blue hologram of the vice-admiral soon appeared before him.

"Commander, we have a development of great importance so listen carefully." Raduss spoke up gravely and quickly gathered the attention of the two other elite troopers as well. "The assault force is approaching as we speak and will arrive shortly. Our probe droids spotted the UNSC heading towards the Covenant's position which means they'll launch an attack of their own. Operative Axis believes this is our time to strike as well."

"With all due respect sir, but isn't this a bit too hasty?" Dusk one respectfully asked.

"It is, but we have no choice. If the UNSC attacks on one side and we on the other then we'll be able to crush these pesky zealots. I despise having to agree with Axis but this is our best option. Destroying this fleet and its armies of mixed species soldiers and advanced droids takes priority." Raduss answered solemnly.

"Understood sir. What are our new orders?"

"Keep that cannon intact. Hold it until our engineers arrive so we can turn its destructive power against our foe." The vice-admiral ordered. "Stand strong troopers. For the empire."

"For the empire." The nova troopers all repeated as they steeled their resolve.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC assault force**

 **Command Mammoth**

Lasky stared anxiously at the screen in front of him. He was inside the command center of the Mammoth but it wasn't the only one they had. Five of them were deployed in total to support their attack on the Didact's position. Their mini-MACs would be invaluable in the battle to come. Aside from the largest UNSC land vehicle ever produced there were also Warthogs, Mongooses, Scorpions and almost every marine they could spare. They would have a lot of air support such as Pelicans dedicated to the role of gunship, Hornets and Falcons too.

Captain Del Rio would command everyone over the comms while he stayed on the _Infinity_. The captain had explicitly told him that the ship would only try to attack the Didact's satellite if it was safe to do so. That meant taking out all anti-air defenses and protecting the ship from the covenant cruisers. A task that Lasky found to be incredibly hard since they had only five mini-MACs to use against actual warships. It was a good thing that the imperial fleet was on approach or else.

All that Lasky could do was wait for the Chief's signal. Then he would commence his attack. He ran through his numerous strategies and tactics again to make sure he'd thought of enough scenarios. The last thing he wanted was to go to battle without having some good plans.

"The Master Chief has made contact! They're ready to blow up the enemy anti-air defenses." One of the crew members called out.

Lasky took a deep breath to calm his nerves. It was a thing he always did before a battle began. He gave a firm nod and looked at the tactical map seeing his forces.

"All units advance." He ordered and watched as the large convoy of UNSC soldiers moved forward.

The numerous transports and tanks drove over the cold and harsh terrain between the mountains. Their VTOLs and gunships hovered above them while additional troops on Pelicans remained in the back. A few Longswords and Broadswords flew overhead as well while the _Infinity_ kept enough distance but followed nonetheless.

"Sir, covenant communications are skyrocketing. They are aware of our approach." One of the men at Lasky's side spoke up from his station.

"Give the Master Chief permission to detonate those bombs." Lasky ordered in return as his map showed covenant forces rallying.

Even through the noise of the convoy he could hear the loud explosions. Smoke rose from behind the covenant walls in great plumes. The enemy's cannons were officially no longer a concern.

"How is the Covenant responding?" Lasky asked out loud.

"They seem to be manning their turrets and battle stations. Numerous covenant armored units are approaching us along with a horde of Banshees." The dumb AI inside the computer responded dully.

"Send word to our fighter squadrons to intercept them. All rocket Warthogs will target those Banshees. Ready our tanks and gauss Warthogs to engage the enemy armor. I want our regular Warthogs to deal with the enemy Ghosts." Lasky instructed as a live feed appeared on his map.

The convoy rearranged itself just as Lasky wanted. The swarm of Banshees soared through the air before descending as they began their attack on the human convoy. Before they even came in firing position they found themselves being harassed by two Longsword squadrons. The UNSC starfighters opened fire with their guns and launched missiles as they intercepted the Banshees. Many of the covenant aerial units exploded in flames and wreckage as a result. They took evasive maneuvers but did not break off their attack.

Lasky narrowed his eyes as half of the Banshees broke through and began firing their plasma cannons.

The rocket Warthogs spread out while their gunners targeted the incoming Banshees. After a few antagonizing seconds the turrets launched their own rockets. Dozens of rockets flew through the air towards their targets who saw them coming. The covenant pilots took evasive maneuvers once more but because of the guidance systems in the weapons they were chased down by the rockets. Banshee after Banshee crashed as they were blown to bits.

With only a quarter of their original strength left, the Banshees finally struck the convoy with their fuel rod guns. Blobs of radioactive explosives barraged the UNSC convoy in a matter of seconds. Multiple Warthogs were blow apart or crashed when the explosives hit the ground next to them. The tanks were much more successful as their armor held out against the attack. Two Hornets went down as they too fell prey to the covenant assault.

The gunners on the Mammoths shifted their aim towards the Banshees and shot down the last of the covenant pilots who decided to crash themselves in a kamikaze way. Lasky gritted his teeth as one of the Banshees slammed into his Mammoth.

"Report!" He barked loudly.

"We lost a few of our Warthog transports and one of our Scorpions along with two Hornets. All surviving Banshees are retreating towards covenant lines." The AI replied.

"Sir, Wraiths at twelve o'clock!"

Lasky spotted the covenant tanks easily. A forward line of defense had been placed by the covenant army in which a row of Wraiths awaited their arrival. Some Grunts and Elites were there as well, probably equipped with heavy weaponry, while groups of Ghosts drove around.

"Call in our Broadswords to soften them up." Lasky told his comm officer who nodded in reply.

"Echo squadron this is ground command, requesting a bombing run on grid X-20 Y-57."

"Roger that ground command." The squadron leader replied over the comms. "Commencing bombing run."

Five Broadsword bombers flew past the mountains and over the covenant line of defense before their payload was dropped. The covenant soldiers cried out as a rain of death caused multiple explosions on their position. Bodies were either incinerated or eviscerated and the tanks blew up. An AA-Wraith fired back and hit one of the UNSC bombers. The pilot tried to get the controls back but his bomber spiraled out of control and crashed against the mountain range. Nevertheless, the covenant defenders were struck another blow.

But that did not stop them from retaliating. The Wraiths all started bombarding the convoy with plasma rounds. Large blue balls of plasma rained down upon the human attackers causing the Warthogs to explode if they did not watch out. The Mammoths shrugged off the plasma rounds but the Scorpions being less maneuverable were much more susceptible to damage.

"Once we're close enough we'll fire back with our own cannons." Lasky said as he saw that they were getting close and closer.

And they did. The Scorpions simultaneously fired at the covenant armor once they were in reach. Grunts screamed and flailed around as their defenses were obliterated by the cannons of the human tanks. The Wraiths valiantly put up a fight as did the Elite infantry but their tanks were turned into burning scrap metal and their soldiers were run over by the Warthogs. The marines cheered as they killed covenant soldiers by the dozens. They drove over the battered and broken bodies of their foes as they neared the final line of defense.

A purple wall had been placed along with smaller barricades but what stood out were the gun emplacements on the wall. Kig-Yar snipers scrambled to their positions as did the Grunt gunners all the while the Elites barked orders. Even though their air and armored assault failed, the covenant loyalists were ready to defend their god and his Hand against the human heretics.

"Mammoths Lizzy and Tiger, blow that wall to kingdom come." Lasky ordered over the comms.

Two of the Mammoths halted and aimed their mini-MACs. Lasky watched as the giant cannons targeted the purple wall in his way. Suddenly two simultaneous projectiles were launched, creating deafening noise and a shockwave of air. The covenant troops atop the wall were staring at the UNSC assault force, clenching their weapons in anticipation, until they simply vanished in thin air as did the wall. Other covenant soldiers watched in horror as two large chunks of the wall were blown away, the MAC rounds having cut them apart and ending the lives of the alien zealots guarding it.

Lasky grinned as two large holes were made for him and his forces.

"Sarah are you ready?" He asked Palmer over their private comm.

One deck below his command center the grey armored Spartan IV gripped the wheel of her Warthog tighter.

"Me and the fours are ready to go." She replied professionally but a tinge of excitement creeped into her voice.

Lasky smiled as he heard it. "Attention all forces, charge the enemy and break through those gates that our Mammoths made. Let's win this and go home!"

The entire convoy cheered loudly before splitting up as the Warthogs and Mongooses took charge. The Scorpions followed albeit at a slower pace but provided excellent support. The VTOLs in the air flew overhead and engaged the covenant air forces while some of the Hornets and Falcons raided the ground troops.

"Let's roll out Spartans!" Palmer said loudly as she drove off with the Warthog.

Two other Warthogs, each filled with Spartan IVs, joined her as they charged towards the covenant lines. Palmer could see multiple Grunts in the distance carrying plasma pistols and fuel rod cannons while the Elites restored order to their ranks. A few of the plasma cannons had survived and with the initial shock gone their gunners began barraging the humans. Drivers had to exercise extreme caution as plasma rounds impacted all around them.

Palmer steered left just before a blob of plasma hit the ground next to her. Her gunner was already firing away with the heavy MG at the covenant defenders. Grunts died as the heavy caliber rounds pierced their flesh and turned them into swiss cheese. The Elites noticeably grew frustrated as they roared war cries and obscenities at the human assailants.

"Vulcan 2-4 and 2-3 at your command ma'am. Courtesy of commander Lasky." A pilot told Palmer over the comms.

She looked up and saw two Hornets hovering above her. "Go after those cannons on the left side. That's where we'll push through."

"Affirmative ma'am." The pilot replied as the two VTOLs flew towards the wall.

An Elite major was shouting at his Grunt underlings to aim better but he stopped mid-rant when a faint noise reached his eardrums. The Grunts kept on cowering as they fired blindly at the human convoy but the Elite wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead he looked at the sky and squinted slightly as he saw lights coming closer. He looked a bit closer and then cried a warning as he jumped off the wall. The Grunts watched bewildered as the two Hornets swooped in and shot a few missiles at them. They all squeaked in terror before the missiles blew the cannons up in a fiery blue mess.

Palmer grinned as she saw the destruction lighting up parts of the broken wall. Multiple Elites rushed forward through the large gap but they halted and turned around as she and other Warthogs neared them. The marines and IVs cheered as they ran over the zealous Sangheilis. Palmer's Warthog hit two of the alien warriors and broke their bodies before driving over them.

"Follow me!" Palmer ordered her troops as she raced inside the covenant camp.

A dozen Warthogs of all kinds drove behind her while Hornets flew overhead. The defenders were putting up a valiant fight as they threw plasma grenades at the jeeps in an effort to thin the horde out and a zealous Grunt went so far that he himself jumped on a Warthog with two grenades primed. All gunners were busy forcing the covenant troops into cover which gave Palmer the perfect opportunity to go after their first target; the forward command post of the Covenant. It was a round structure with four platforms that all connected to a single building which acted as the command center of the small installation.

Plasma turrets swiveled around as they opened fire on the incoming horde of jeeps. Plasma burned through armored plating but the human-made vehicles endured the punishment while lashing out in return. Palmer steered her vehicle around a small rock formation and accelerated before driving off a rock that stuck out of the ground. The Spartan IVs that were accompanying her all yelled in both excitement and anxiety as they flew through the air. However, gravity was still in effect and they started descending shortly after. Palmer braced herself as she landed on one of the platforms and quickly made a sharp turn. The Warthog spun around knocking two Jackals off the platform as Palmer pulled out one of her magnum pistols and shot at the other covenant underlings.

"Disembark now!" She yelled and jumped out of the jeep.

Her fellow Spartans did as told and each one of them grabbed his rifle. The three of them opened fire on the enemies in front of them and eliminated them fairly quickly. This was because of the fact that their Elite officer had been crushed beneath the Warthog when it had landed. Palmer dual wielded her pistols perfectly as she scored headshot after headshot by placing bullets in her foes with amazing precision. Jackals screeched in pain and Grunts wailed in terror as they caused a storm of death.

"Enemy reinforcements coming in!" One of the Spartans warned his comrades as multiple Elites rushed out of the main building.

"Take them out Spartans." The lieutenant replied as she already got moving.

The Elites roared and started shooting with their plasma rifles and their carbines. Palmer's shields took a few hits but she shrugged them off and systematically wiped out any opponent that came closer. It became clear to the Sangheili renegades that their approach was not an effective way to kill the three Spartans but they pressed on. Palmer rose from her cover but was pushed on her back as an Elite ultra jumped on her. Her pistols were knocked out of her grip and she was forced to hold her arms protectively in front of her as the ultra delivered punches and swipes. The female Spartan IV grit her teeth as the talons slashed through her thick suit that she wore beneath her armor. It was made out of sturdy material but the alien's talons easily cut through.

"Get. The. Hell. Off!" She yelled and headbutted her foe.

The Elite did not see her attack coming and rolled away in a slight daze. Palmer got back up as did the Elite and both of them stared at each other. Their comrades were busy fighting their own battles, so the two of them were going to do this the old-fashioned way. Palmer drew her combat knife while the Elite brandished his energy knives. They remained motionless for a few seconds before they charged each other with their own war cries.

Palmer leaned to the side as the Elite went for a quick jab and she proceeded by slamming her knee in his abdomen. A grunt was all that she got for her effort since the ultra had braced himself for her attack. He retaliated by swiping at her with the two energy knives but all of his attacks missed. Palmer went on the attack and started slashing with her own blade. Now it was the Elite's turn to dodge as the sharpened metal came close to hitting him. He snarled but kept on dodging, looking for a weakness to exploit. His Spartan opponent was getting frustrated as well but she didn't let it get to her. Instead, she decided to do something different by throwing a kick in her combo. It took the Sangheili warrior by surprise but he recovered and adapted to her new moves.

The sounds of the battle that raged on all around them faded to the background as the two combatants focused solely on their fight. Neither was getting tired but time was of the essence. The Elite finally made his move by dashing forward and slashing in a cross like motion. Palmer dodged but only narrowly and it still cut her forearm armor slightly, the small cut now blackened and smoking a bit. She snarled and delivered a powerful punch to the alien's mandibles and heard a loud crack as her fist made contact. Roaring in pain the ultra staggered back and let out a wail of pain as the pair of mandibles on the right side of his face sagged. Rage filled the covenant soldier, his entire posture betraying his murderous intent, and he began attacking her with more vigor.

His moves were fast and brutal, something that Palmer noticed, but they were getting more sloppy as well. Palmer moved so fast that she almost danced around him. He was much more predictable now and she was taking advantage of it. The female Spartan ducked just as the Elite attacked her with both of his energy knives, a move that allowed her to get the perfect opportunity to end their fight. Before he could move away she lashed out by slicing her own knife across his vulnerable throat. Blood poured out of the large gash and splattered on her chest armor but she didn't care. The Elite ultra staggered back, his wide eyes losing their life and glazing over, before he finally dropped down on the platform.

Palmer sighed and grabbed her pistols as she left the bloodied corpse behind her. She had to give the hingehead some credit, he was one tough SOB.

Not much resistance was left and she claimed the command post alongside the two fellow IVs for their side. With the loss of it, the Covenant seemed to realize their situation and quickly fell back.

"Lasky, I have secured the command post. Any updates?" She asked over her private comm line that she shared with him while marines walked past her.

His response was fast and clipped. "Our forces are getting through. However, I just got informed that the Covenant is sending reinforcements. Their battlecruisers are breaking formation and we spotted their hangars opening up."

Worry soon welled up inside her as well at the news.

"What did the captain say?" She demanded and went back outside to see the small covenant fleet move.

"He won't risk the ship." Was Lasky's simple response. "The Mammoths are ready to fire, but they won't be effective against so many ships.

Palmer frowned as a Lich came closer, its typical organic-like frame glowing in the dark sky. The covenant ship was followed by a squadron of Banshees and by the looks of it it was going to strike them hard.

Just as she wanted to warn the others it shuddered as green streaks of light slammed against it. Palmer and the marines around her stared in awe as explosions erupted out of the covenant Lich. The Banshees broke off as the Lich seemed to descend slowly, dropping faster as it fell, before crashing down on the ground and exploding brightly. As flames rose from the wreckage, three imperial Arquitens-class light cruisers flew over the mountainous terrain followed by squadrons of TIE fighters that immediately engaged the covenant air units.

Multiple imperial warships soon appeared through the dark clouds as they engaged the covenant fleet in a vicious battle between two navies.

"Looks like imps showed up after all." Palmer muttered as she got ready to move out.

* * *

 **Next chapter will most likely be the end of the Halo 4 event. After this there'll be the UNSC counter attack, the rebels making contact and finally Thrawn's fight against the Sangheili under the Arbiter's command. I think we've all been waiting for these things to happen.**

 **And who knows, maybe we'll finally get our Master Chief vs Darth Vader scene. Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey there everyone, missed me? Aside from numerous assignments and my impending doom (exams), I finally managed to get the last chapter for 2017 ready. This is the last one you'll see for quite some time, so don't expect a chapter in January. Maybe in the beginning of February but who knows, life has it ways to screw me over.**

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Covenant occupied mountains**

"Cortana, give me a full assessment." The Master Chief told his AI companion as he walked past a burning Wraith. A burnt Elite's corpse was slumped over the plasma turret of the tank, there was nothing distinctive left that could have gave away the alien's identity. His whole body was charred and the armor he had worn had been melted into his skin.

Chief dropped the railgun that had destroyed the tank and grabbed his assault rifle. He saw two Ghosts race by while they were being chased by two speeder bikes. The Spartan ignored them and kept on walking.

"We're currently one kilometer away from the Forerunner structure that seems to be linked to the large cylinder in the ground. It's shielded by tech that disrupts scans, however from what I picked up on the covenant battle net it contains a Forerunner ship that the Didact wants to recover. The temple is protected by an entire covenant legion and Prometheans. It's heavily fortified and our forces are having difficulty with breaking through." Cortana replied as she reviewed all information she gathered on both the UNSC, Covenant and imperial communication networks.

"Which way?" Chief simply asked as he checked his ammo.

"I've added the location to your HUD." Cortana said and a mark appeared on the Chief's visor. "I do advise you to get some sort of transportation though."

Chief nodded and looked around for a suitable vehicle. He didn't have to look far as he quickly spotted a Mongoose. The large soldier jogged towards the Mongoose and grabbed its sides before turning it over so the wheel would touch the ground. He placed his assault rifle on his back as he sat down in the driver's seat. It sputtered once but then hummed as the engine activated.

Within seconds he was already racing through the warzone towards his destination.

"The empire is dealing a heavy blow to the Covenant." Cortana spoke up sounding slightly impressed. "Their ships are forcing the covenant cruisers to solely focus on them while their light cruisers can bombard the ground with little resistance."

"Warn me if one tries that on our location." The Master Chief responded as he turned to the right passing a crashed TIE fighter.

"Oh don't worry. Luckily for us they seem to be focusing their attention on the Covenant and the Prometheans. I guess they want to avoid our own forces as much as possible. Though their artillery does occasionally hit close to us." The AI said as she kept an eye out for the distinct green laser bolt of an imperial SPMA walker.

Chief looked to his right and saw a Banshee chase a TIE fighter and succeed in hitting it. The starfighter's left wing sparked before igniting, the fire spreading towards the engines. Within moments the TIE fighter lost altitude and crashed leaving a trail of dirt and debris. The Banshee's victory was short-lived as a rocket slammed into its hull shattering the covenant aerial vehicle.

"Do we have friendly forces in the vicinity?"

Cortana did a quick check before sharing the results. "We do but it's unlikely that they'll be able to help. The Covenant is pressing hard against their attacks. They have plasma turrets and watch towers with snipers. I guess if they had armored support then they would be able to break through that line of defense."

"Any tanks in the vicinity?" Chief asked while driving over a Grunt's lifeless body, its tiny head collapsing under the weight.

"There are three Scorpion tanks a couple of meters behind the marines' position. I'm reading Promethean signatures at their location."

Chief made a sharp turn as he deviated from his current course and raced towards the tanks. On his way he passed two covenant squads that tried stopping him. He expertly drove past the alien soldiers while returning fire with his pistol. Three Grunts fell prey to his aim and one jackal was hit in the throat, blood spewing out of the hole and the mercenary's mouth. Without any delay he continued onwards leaving the angered hostiles behind.

His trip was cut short as he finally arrived at his destination. The three Scorpions were luckily still intact, as were their crew, but they were pinned down by the Promethean knights that surrounded them. The Forerunner AIs were relentless in their assault which was clear to him as they killed the marines that were escorting the armored vehicles.

"You'd better get in there Chief." Cortana spoke up sounding a bit worried.

Chief agreed with her and jumped into the fray. His first victim was a knight that had its back turned to him while it fired with its light rifle at a marine squad. The human soldiers were helpless against the distance between their assailant and its precision. Chief wasted no time as he shot at the machine with his own rifle. Its shields held out while it turned around but they broke when he came close. Chief grunted as he slammed his assault rifle against its head shattering the mask and revealing the human skull beneath it. He simply aimed his weapon before placing a few rounds into the orange head before moving on and leaving the disintegrating Promethean behind.

A fallen marine laid at his feet with her weapon still clutched in her hands while he moved on. He disregarded the woman's soulless eyes as he retrieved the weapon but did so respectfully. Checking for any ammo as well he reloaded the gun and went after another knight.

This one was larger than its fellow Prometheans and had orange spikes on it indicating that it had to be some sort of commander. It wielded an incineration cannon which it used to harass the Scorpions. Judging that it was a high priority target, Chief pulled out one of his frag grenades and armed it before throwing the explosive at the knight's feet. It screeched as the small ball rolled between its leg before exploding, depleting the shields of the knight, and damaging the Promethean. It turned to see the Chief running at high speeds and began firing the large cannon on its shoulder. Chief dodged the incoming blasts and got closer to his target. He rolled as it swung the cannon like a bat to knock him away. The Master Chief got up in a crouch and fired his first shell at the knight, metal disintegrating as it was wounded, while it recovered from its momentum.

The knight was visibly livid at him and went as far to fire its cannon while standing next to him. Chief grunted as his shields took the brunt of the attack and quickly fired at the Promethean. More of the armor was chipped away and after two more shots it finally gave in. The knight stumbled while most of it disintegrated and eventually it died at the Spartan's feet.

"You're not done yet Chief." Cortana told him as he switched back to his assault rifle. "Covenant Ghosts incoming. Hold them off while I call for backup."

"Understood." Her Spartan replied while he ran towards the Scorpions.

The marines visibly brightened up when he came into view but their relief was cut short by the arrival of the Ghosts. An entire group of them opened fire and soon plasma flew over their heads while the remaining Prometheans ganged up on them.

"Focus on the Prometheans first, leave the Ghosts for the tanks." Chief ordered the marines while firing a burst at a knight.

"Understood."

"Got it!"

"Leave it to us."

The Prometheans faltered as their advance was stopped by the combined firepower of the marines. One of the tank gunners swiveled his MG around and unleashed a torrent of bullets upon them. Chunks of armor were torn off and slowly but steadily the Prometheans lost the advantage as their numbers began to dwindle. It got worse for them as two of the human soldiers threw grenades at their group. Shields shattered as did armor and the Prometheans found themselves to have lost more than half of their original numbers. That did not stop them from summoning crawlers to replenish their numbers.

"Watch out, crawlers!" Someone yelled over the gunfire.

One of the Scorpions fired a shell at the horde of crawlers and managed to take out four of them but its attention was soon needed to keep the Ghosts away. Chief grabbed a nearby grenade launcher and started thinning out the horde as well while the marines supported him. A nearby soldier fell as his chest was riddled by plasma bolts. The killer drove by in his Ghost, squeals of giddiness echoing around the battlefield. The Grunt's celebration was cut short by one of Chief's grenades that detonated close to him.

As hard as he tried, Chief couldn't prevent the losses that they were suffering. They defended valiantly but the Prometheans seemed to be gathering at their point which meant waves of enemies. His assault rifle barked while he pulled the trigger, more crawlers bursting apart as the bullets penetrated their small bodies. However, the knights did not take kindly to their smaller brethren's demises since they responded with bolts of hardlight that impacted against his shields. Chief ducked behind his cover as his shields began the process of recharging themselves.

"Sir, they're getting closer and our front tank is experiencing problems with its cannon." A marine at his side said but stopped talking when plasma hit the soil next to them.

"Keep firing, help is on the way." Chief replied stoically but it still gave the private some hope. "Cortana, what is the status of our air support?"

"Two Falcons are inbound Chief. They should be arriving soon enough." His AI companion told him reassuringly.

And so they repelled the Promethean onslaught. No one slacked when their backs were pressed to the wall and they had to fight to survive. The Scorpions were relentless but the damage was starting to take its toll on the powerful tanks.

"We're being overrun!" One of the marines shouted as plasma whizzed past his head, the heat seeping through his helmet.

"Then keep firing!" Someone shouted back.

A SAW gunner saw a knight teleporting towards them and readied his gun. Upon the arrival of the Promethean he let it rip and watched in satisfaction while his heavy weapon broke through the machine's defenses. The knight let out a wail as it died beneath the combined firepower of a SAW and two DMR wielding marksmen. Its weapon clattered on the ground upon its death.

"Sierra-117, this is harpy-2 inbound with harpy-4. We are arriving in T-minus 30 seconds." A pilot announced over the comms.

"Copy that harpy-2." Chief answered while placing a bullet in a Grunt's head. "We are being surrounded by Promethean forces and covenant Ghosts."

"Understood sierra-117." The Falcon's pilot said.

Everyone looked up as the two Falcons appeared over the battlefield with their spotlights turned on the Prometheans. Their gunners had spotlights as well and aimed their machine guns at the enemy group. Skull-like faces glared at the newcomers and within moments the knights attacked the airborne humans with their weaponry.

"Light them up people." One of the pilots said as he steered towards them.

The gunners immediately opened fire and the knights screeched as the MGs had more effect on their armor. When the Falcons themselves unleashed the fury of their powerful guns it became clear that the Prometheans were at a complete disadvantage that not even their superior numbers could solve. The two Falcons flew around the battlefield while firing upon the enemy, their armament decimating the knights and crawlers. Armor splintered, frames burst apart and more of the Forerunner death machines fell.

"Retaliate now." Chief ordered the marines before getting up again and firing at the halted Promethean forces.

The marines looked at each other but they quickly caught on and joined him. Their smaller weapons still had an effect on the already weakened knights.

"Target those Ghosts. Let's get rid of these pests!" A sergeant shouted at the tank drivers who replied by firing shells at the covenant reconnaissance vehicles.

"Eek!" A Grunt yelled in surprise as an explosion threw him and his Ghost in the air. He landed three seconds later, his bones breaking and the Ghost crashing into a large stone.

All of the Grunt drivers were frightened beyond belief as the attention of both tank drivers and tank gunners were focused on them. Shattering explosions and torrents of high caliber bullets were enough to drive them into a frenzy of panic. The covenant soldiers soon broke ranks and fled the scene, leaving the Prometheans to fend for themselves.

Chief watched in satisfaction as another knight burst apart before disintegrating into nothingness. The tide had turned and it wouldn't take a lot of time before the tanks were free to move out of their entrenched position.

"Your delusions do not cease to be amusing."

Chief's entire body tensed at hearing the deep voice that rumbled through his mind. He looked around but couldn't see the one who had spoken.

"Chief? What is wrong?" A worried Cortana asked him as she saw her friend look for an invisible foe.

"The Didact. Didn't you hear him?" Chief asked in reply as his eyes scanned their surroundings.

"I didn't hear anything." Cortana said perplexed.

"This is between you and me, insect. Your construct is not fit to hear my words. You will try to stop me but you will ultimately fail. You cannot stop the wrath of the Forerunners." The Didact's voice once more echoed through his head.

"The Didact is speaking about the futility of our efforts." Chief said in dismissive tone as he looked at the last Prometheans being destroyed by the Falcons. "Cortana, send the coordinates of our allies to the tanks. We need to move now."

"Alright Chief." His AI replied quietly.

Chief silently walked away from his position and got to work to rally the marines.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Imperial-class star destroyer** _ **Starlight**_

 **Command bridge**

"Intensify forward deflector shields and fire at that cruiser!" Vice-admiral Raduss ordered as he pointed at the covenant cruiser that approached his vessel.

The covenant ship bombarded the star destroyer with pulse lasers and plasma rounds after it got a good view of the imperial vessel. The lasers and the plasma rounds impacted against the shields of the star destroyer, its shields visibly struggled to hold the plasma weaponry back. The entire ship shook under the assault of the barrage.

Raduss grit his teeth and watched as the heavy cannons of his star destroyer turned to face the theat. Lances of green energy lit up the night as they slammed into the covenant cruiser, its own shields protecting it from the punishment. More of the smaller turbolasers targeted the assailant and fired their own green laser bolts. The ion cannons also began besieging the purple vessel, draining the shields that protected it.

"The _Legion_ and the _Consul_ are moving to assist us sir." A crew member said over the ruckus.

Two Victories flew past the _Starlight_ and engaged the covenant cruiser as well. Facing two more enemy warships, the cruiser divided its attention between the three of them. The forward shields of the smaller imperial ships fell victim to an attack of pulse lasers as well but they held strong. Retaliating with their own turbolasers, the Victories returned the favor as they bombarded the covenant warship.

Raduss watched as the ship fought against his own. The battle had been going on for quite some time, and while they had been caught off-guard in the battle above the planet, the imperial battlegroup was putting up a valiant fight. While the Covenant had superior fighters, he had a larger quantity and the few TIE defenders that were under his command could handle the Seraphs. As for boarding parties it usually became a bloody mess in which every single soldier aboard the ship would have to help repel them. Fighting the Covenant was no easy thing to do, they had cannon fodder and disciplined soldiers as well.

But his forces held strong and that was what mattered to Raduss.

So he couldn't help but smirk slightly as the covenant cruiser in front of him finally had its shields destroyed. The laser bolts punctured the hull and explosions racked the entire vessel. A hangar bay was completely destroyed and fire spread through everything. The ship's engines flared as they struggled to stay active and keep the ship in the air but it was a losing battle. Another salvo of turbolaser fire and finally the cruiser went down. More explosions occurred as the warship of the Storm Covenant descended towards the ground.

"Damage report." Raduss requested almost automatically.

An officer was quick with his answer, "Our shields are holding out. A few hull breaches at the front of the star destroyer but nothing major."

"Send word to the _Legion_ and _Consul_ that they will remain at our side as an escort." Raduss ordered while glancing at the two Victories before his vision shifted to the falling cruiser. "And do warn our troopers on the ground this time."

"Yes sir."

Raduss watched his tactical screen as he oversaw the assault. All available forces had been deployed by shuttles and now his heavy armor was marching towards the covenant stronghold. Five AT-ATs were breaking through the covenant defenses while smaller walkers protected them. His AT-AAs were also deployed and shot down Banshees and Seraphs that came too close. Storm troopers were blasting a path towards the objective as TIE fighters and bombers flew overhead to provide support. All in all, their attack was going well with the Covenant dividing its troops between his own and those of the UNSC.

"Vice-admiral, the covenant warships are going to the left and right while three of their cruisers are coming from above." One of Raduss' officers reported from across the other side of the bridge.

" _They're trying to surround us. No doubt that those ships are doing this to us so we won't be able to escape the plasma beams that will come from above."_ Raduss thought to himself as he stroked his chin with his gloved hand.

"Cut them off with our Imperial-class star destroyers. Divert our bomber squadrons to attack the ships coming from above. Their targets are the engines and the beam weapons on the bellies of those ships." Raduss ordered and felt his ship shudder as another plasma round struck.

The large group of imperial warships followed the orders of the vice-admiral and began to steer towards either the left or the right. All covenant cruisers that were surrounding them had to adjust their course or risk crashing into the star destroyers. The imperial ships fired salvos of turbolaser fire to hold the Covenant back which was followed by concussion missiles. Raduss was correct in his assessment as the covenant ships were now unable to surround his forces.

As for the three battlecruisers who were ascending higher, the imperials didn't forget about them. Waves of TIE fighters and bombers were rushing to meet the threat head-on. Seraphs and Banshees met them halfway and fired their plasma cannons at the imperial aircraft. Starfighters were shot down as the two sides lashed out at each other.

The bomber squadrons all broke up and spread out. Their targets, the energy projectors, were in clear sight. Weapon ports aboard the covenant cruisers opened up as pulse laser turrets were powered on. They all lined up before shooting bright purple lasers at the TIE bombers and the few TIE defenders. Whereas the defenders had shields to protect themselves, the bombers only had their tougher armor and that did not promise survival against the enemy laser fire.

Below the three ships their energy projectors powered up as they aimed at two star destroyers that were floating beneath them. However, the bombers got through the laser barrage even though they lost quite some pilots. The TIE bombers' targeting computers finished their lock-on calculations and announced that the missiles were loaded. All the squadrons fired everything they had ranging from concussion missiles to proton torpedoes and even proton bombs.

The Covenant could only watch as the imperial armaments hit the energy projectors that were now much more vulnerable due to the fact that they were powering up. Explosions covered the unprotected weapons and after some detonations, one of them caved in. The battlecruiser in the middle shook as the weapon exploded, more smaller explosions spreading through the ship's middle. Blue fire spewed out of the ship and at last the hull couldn't handle the strain anymore as the battlecruiser slowly fell apart.

Its two fellow cruisers held out but one of them had an inoperable energy projector as result and its shields shattered under the pressure. The last one however had been hit by the least amount of bombs and while slightly damaged it could still fire its weapon. Bright light gathered beneath its belly before a beam of pure energy cut through the sky and slammed into a star destroyer. Weakened shields flickered as the beam pushed on and within moments it broke through. The ship's hull was sliced apart by the energy projector and soon the three large engines of the imperial warship died out, gravity promising death for the imperial crewmen.

Raduss shook his head but accepted the situation. While it was less than ideal it was still a kriffing good victory.

"Sir, the covenant ships are regrouping and one of our Venators, along with two of our light frigates, is dealing with the remaining cruiser." An officer reported to the vice-admiral.

"Excellent." Raduss commented with a slight nod. "Order our star destroyers in the back to fill in the gaps of our formation. Stay in formation and engage the enemy."

Axis stepped towards the vice-admiral with a scowl on his face while two storm troopers escorted him. Raduss spotted the man coming and grimaced.

"This fleet should have been pushed back by now Raduss. You should call back the frigates that are assisting our ground troops and finish these aliens in one swift attack. We can't allow ourselves to lose any more time." The operative spoke up condescendingly.

Raduss finally couldn't take it anymore and sneered at the man who had been a pain in the ass for days now. The vice-admiral was tired of this nonsense.

"I don't have time for you Axis. If you haven't noticed we are fighting a large scale battle both on the ground and in the air. If I pull out starfighters or ships from either side then we will risk losing an engagement. You might have power over me but not now!" Raduss growled and leaned forward to glare at the shorter man. "Now remove yourself off of my bridge."

"You cannot talk to me like that." Axis retorted indignantly.

Raduss gestured towards the troopers who nodded in understanding. They grabbed Axis by the shoulders and began dragging him away. The operative yelled at them for their so-called 'insubordination' but no one was listening to his complaints. Everyone was focused on their task so they would win the battle.

Raduss sighed in relief and heard someone mutter 'good riddance' which caused him to grin.

The smile soon left his face as he refocused on the battle that was raging on around him and quickly gave new orders.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Covenant defenses**

Another Elite cried out in pain as his chest was punctured by the Chief's DMR. His assault rifle had run out of ammo long ago and now he was wielding the marksman rifle. Two marines aided him in pushing the covenant soldiers back while the Scorpions drove behind them, firing at the covenant barricades and towers.

"According to their battle net we are dealing a serious blow. No other front is breaking as fast as this one is." Cortana informed him as she accessed the comm network of the Covenant. "However, that means we'll be facing their reinforcements soon enough."

"What about the Prometheans?" Chief asked as he killed another Elite, the bullet piercing through the alien's head.

"Well, they're stretched thin. Seems like the Didact hasn't been able to gather many of them." Cortana replied thoughtfully. "The imperials are making it tough for the Covenant though. Their walkers are crippling the covenant's armored vehicles and because of all those TIEs in the air they can't afford to spare any starfighters."

A loud explosion to their left cut off Chief's response before he could speak. One of the marines was laying on the ground, his left leg vaporized in the blast, while another was restraining the agonized man and a medic was tending to the wound. Two Wraiths were advancing with their plasma turret gunners mowing down any marines in sight. One of them fired another blob of plasma that landed on top of a Scorpion tank. The human tank burst into flames, completely destroyed beyond salvage.

"Medic!" Someone yelled over the sound of chaos as more covenant soldier came into view.

A screech announced the arrival of a Promethean knight and its crawler henchmen. The knight raised its weapon and rallied the Grunts that immediately flocked to its side.

"More hostiles incoming, target those officers!" One of the marine sergeants ordered his squad in response.

"For the UNSC!" The marines yelled to boost morale.

Grunt after Grunt fell with holes in their bodies, crawler after crawler burst into tiny fragments and the knight was pinned down by a Scorpion. Those with shotguns sprinted forward and began forcing the crawlers back. Some who were using a DMR opted to stay behind and cover their allies from a distance. The two sides were locked in a stalemate but the desperation that plagued the Covenant was easily noticed. The way they fought and kept on calling for backup showed that they were losing ground.

Occasionally a Falcon or Hornet would pass by to help the marines on the ground. Their machine guns and rockets caused casualties for the Covenant, something that they couldn't afford with the other faction banging on their backdoor. Sometimes, but rarely, a TIE fighter would make a strafing run as well but when it did it would fire indiscriminately. Both covenant and UNSC soldiers alike would get hit and retaliate.

Master Chief sprinted forward and dropped behind cover when his shields gave out under the constant plasma barrage. Even with the tanks supporting their advance, the covenant plasma turrets were still a nuisance.

"Master Chief, this is commander Lasky." Lasky spoke over the comms. "You're nearing a covenant command post. We've found out that many tactical decisions are coming from there. One of the intercepted transmissions mentioned an Elite field marshal. Find him and eliminate him. That should harm the cohesion of their troops allowing ours to push further."

"I understand sir." Chief replied and got back up.

"I suggest you eliminate those plasma turrets first. Not that you need the extra support but those tanks and marines will make it easier for us to invade that command center." Cortana told him as he rose to his feet.

Chief looked to his left and saw the marines successfully breaking through. Apparently the covenant soldiers had forgotten to close a gap which the humans gladly exploited. The Grunts were in a disarray as marines attacked from not only the front but also their side. A few of them tried killing a marine squad, their plasma pistols whining as plasma was discharged, but their poor aim left much to be desired. All Elites that were present had steadier aim but even they couldn't do much. The Scorpions finally arrived at their position and were blowing them up with their cannons or mowing them down with their machine guns. Blood was splattered all over the ground and corpses of the fallen dotted the battlefield.

The Spartan II rushed towards his enemies and found three Elites blocking his path. They angrily raised their plasma rifles and opened fire at the same time that the Chief did. One of them collapsed under the concentrated fire but so did Chief's shields. With a grunt he rolled away while unclipping a grenade before throwing it at the alien warriors' feet. The resulting blast took out the second one but alas the third Elite survived it. Chief got up and placed a few bullets in the Elite's head, the Sangheili dying immediately, before he moved on.

Marines flocked to his side as he spearheaded through the covenant lines, the tanks in tow. By now the covenant troops were losing ground so fast that they just didn't have time to prepare proper defenses. Plasma turrets were impossible to reposition and most of the time they would just stand in groups around the battlefield with no real sense of direction. Not even the few Ghosts that were still present could do much since they were prioritized by the Scorpions.

Chief kept on running but reduced his speed so the marines could stay with him. All around him the UNSC was advancing towards the covenant command center. Taking it out would bring him one step closer to facing the Didact and ending his quest of destroying humanity. It would also get Cortana faster to earth, faster to Halsey and it would increase her chances of survival. With the probability of being the last Spartan II, the loss of Johnson and being all alone he had to keep believing that. Cortana had become a beacon for him. A light that would guide him when even he didn't know what to do. She was perhaps the only one who really knew who hid behind the armor.

Who the Master Chief truly is.

"Wow, slow down there Chief. Leave something for the marines."

He blinked once as Cortana's voice was registered by his brain. Around a dozen Grunts and Jackals were laying around him, their bodies either punctured by bullets or broken by his fists.

Had he been that busy within his mind that he hadn't realized he was killing covenant soldiers? It worried Chief and he silently berated himself for it. A lack of proper focus could get you killed on the battlefield. Mendez's rants and instructions echoed through his mind, his old instructor being angry for such a fault. Yet he couldn't help it, Cortana was dying. That was enough for him to do all that was in his power to save her.

"Your attachment to the construct is sickening." The Didact's voice invaded his mind once more. "You seek to save it, to prolong its existence. You will fail in this foolish endeavor as well."

Chief narrowed his eyes and quickly slammed his foot on a groaning Elite, ending the alien's life.

"Chief?" Cortana asked oblivious of his inner turmoil.

"It's nothing." He replied stoically.

"If you say so." His friend said, her tone clearly showing that she didn't believe him.

"How much further?" Chief asked as he walked past a medic who was tending to the wounded.

Various marines and a pair of ODSTs were gathering as they prepared to push on towards the command center. One of the tanks was also being fixed by an engineer. It had problems with moving and the engineer was now repairing whatever had been damaged, all the while the tank driver was anxiously waiting for the repairs to be done.

"It's just over this small hill. I should warn you though, that there are two Locusts guarding it alongside a lot of covenant soldiers including Prometheans. We're going to need more support if we want to even step inside that building." Cortana said as she accessed all the info available to her.

"Holy crap! Look at that!"

Chief's head snapped towards a man who was pointing at the sky while calling out for his comrades to do the same. Everyone muttered and cursed as an imperial cruiser fell out of the sky and crashed right next to the covenant command post. Flames and smoke came out of the craft but it seemed to be still intact. One of its engines was completely torn off and pieces of hull had fallen off the craft during the impact.

"Unfortunate that it didn't fall right on top of our target." Cortana joked.

Chief didn't smile but he was relieved with the jovial tone of his friend. For far too long had she been so serious and filled with dread that he missed her witty comments.

"Master Chief we're ready to move out." An officer reported which caught the large super soldier's attention.

"Let's go." He said and grabbed his rifle.

The entire group of UNSC soldiers marched on towards their target while battles raged on all around them. By now the land was scarred with craters, corpses and wrecks of either covenant cruisers or imperial star destroyers. They moved past a pair of destroyed Wraiths and got a good look at their enemy's position. Multiple defensive turrets had been placed and more than a few Wraiths were surrounding the purple building.

Plasma bolts immediately started flying at them once they stepped over the hill. The Wraith tanks also joined in with their plasma mortars. Everyone scattered, trying to get to cover as fast as possible, while the Scorpions returned fire at the Wraiths. Hornets flew overhead as they bombarded the covenant soldiers and armor with rockets.

Chief himself dodged incoming plasma fire while sprinting down the hill. With expert grace he danced around the plasma bolts and only took a few hits that failed to take down his shields. One plasma round struck too close and broke his shields but luckily there was a boulder nearby where he could recover. More marines managed to run down the mountains under the covering fire of the tanks and VTOLs but there were still some casualties.

One of the marines carrying a rocket launcher was hit in the face just as he jogged past the Master Chief. Without any delay he grabbed the fallen soldier's weapon and aimed it at a Wraith. One rocket was fired, followed by the second one, and both were clean hits. Flames erupted from the covenant tank and its gunner fell silent.

Another Wraith drove forward taking the destroyed one's place before firing at the Chief.

"Chief, move!" Cortana warned him as the blob of plasma ascended.

Chief rushed forward as fast as he could and managed to evade getting burned to a crisp by the Wraith. Covenant soldiers charged forward as well once they spotted the wretched demon. The Master Chief found himself being pinned down by over a dozen opponents.

"Cortana is there any air support available?" Chief asked while returning fire.

A Jackal spat out blood as his chest was filled with bullets but two more took his place.

"Give me a moment! I CAN'T FOCUS WITH ALL THIS NOISE!" Came a rather angry and desperate reply from the AI.

"Cortana!" Chief spoke loudly as another plasma round landed near him.

Two Wraiths drove forward while being flanked by Elites, all having the intent on finishing the Spartan off. It surprised them immensely when they were thrown off their feet by a large explosion. When they looked up they saw that one of their tanks had been reduced to a burning husk, charred bodies of their fellow warriors smoking as well. Suddenly green light slammed into the second Wraith and after a few hits it blew up just like the first one did.

Both covenant and UNSC troops alike were startled by what just happened and traced the source back to its origin; the imperial light cruiser.

Apparently while being heavily damaged, the light cruiser still had some operable systems left including a turbolaser. The cannon was currently firing at the battlefield prioritizing covenant soldiers. In addition to that the crew of imperials exited the wreckage and took defensive positions around the craft while firing upon both Covenant and UNSC. Jump troopers also came outside and flew on top of the vessel where they took sniping positions or just fired at anyone close to the light cruiser.

Chief was about to head out when Cortana spoke again. "I'm sorry Chief. It's getting noisy in here."

He heard the remorse in his friend's voice. "Just try to focus. We'll get you to Halsey soon."

Cortana didn't dare crush his hope so she remained silent.

"They left a gap on the left side. Focus on that position." Someone announced over the comms breaking their silence.

"Well," Cortana slowly said, "let's go kill some Elites."

It pained him to hear her so defeated but he couldn't find the right words nor was it the right time. There was a battle going on, this conversation would be a hindrance. However, and this was something the Chief vowed to do, they would talk to each other soon enough.

He got up from his position before running off towards the covenant loyalists with his weapon firing away. The Prometheans instantly targeted him instead of the marines which had positives and negatives. With all their attention on him, the marines wouldn't have to worry about a knight phasing in front of them. However on the other hand he was now being attacked by a horde of crawlers and knights. Not to mention the covenant soldiers that were out for his blood.

Chief ducked, rolled and sprinted using all of his agility to dodge the incoming fire. A knight teleported in front of him before raising its orange blade to strike him down. The Spartan II sidestepped the vertical slash and delivered a nasty kick to the machine's legs. It cried out as it stumbled and fell on its back but was helpless as the Master Chief pounded its metal skull with his armored fist. Upon the disintegration of the knight he set his sight on two crawlers that made a beeline for him. They spewed orange bolts at him, making his shields flare and wither, but Chief quickly aimed his rifle at them and eliminated them.

He was about to move when a torrent of laser bolts impacted the ground around him and some of the Prometheans. Two TIE fighters flew overhead, performing a strafing run that killed a few knights and some crawlers, before turning around to go after the covenant soldiers. A Locust aimed upwards before firing a beam of plasma that tore one of the TIEs apart. Its entire cockpit was incinerated while one of the solar panels landed right on top of an unsuspecting Grunt. Angered by the loss of his wingman, the surviving TIE pilot turned towards the Locust and barraged it with his laser cannons. Emerald bolts struck the purple craft and while it held out initially it didn't survive long as it exploded in a ball of blue flames.

Seeing it happen was enough for the Master Chief to watch his step and keep some extra attention on any nearby starfighters. A quick update from Cortana told him that the Covenant was struggling against the empire's fleet since their support vessels were being picked off by the _Infinity_ and UNSC bombers. In fact, it seemed that the covenant and Prometheans forces were actually being pushed back. Line after line of defense fell, officer after officer perished leaving the covenant soldiers disorganized and their cruisers were being battered by the imperial fleet. If this kept up then the Didact would lose all of his forces, which was understandable since he didn't seem to care for the Covenant but his unwillingness to fight was taking its toll on his Prometheans. Their numbers were grand but at this rate there wouldn't be many left.

Chief reloaded his rifle as he walked past a dead Elite and grabbed the alien's energy sword just in case he needed it. A Warthog drove by with its gunner mowing down Grunts and Jackals left and right. Resolve was breaking in the covenant ranks, it was hard not to notice. Being stuck between an UNSC assault force and an imperial fleet was breaking their morale.

"Chief I have some news for you." Lasky said as he contacted the Spartan. "The imperials are making a final push towards the covenant flagship and their ground forces are currently in a stalemate. The Covenant is diverting troops to repel their assault but in doing so they've left their flank defenseless. Captain Del Rio has agreed to use the _Infinity_ to destroy the Didact's ship. All we need is a targeting solution."

"What do you want me to do?" Chief asked as he slipped past some occupied Elites and finally entered the command post.

"First off we need you to get inside that Forerunner temple and stop the Didact. If he's not there then you'll have to tag that orb for a precision strike. "

"Understood sir." Chief replied while walking through the building, his target hiding somewhere.

* * *

 **Requiem**

"Dusk two, where is that covering fire?!" Dusk one yelled as plasma bolts flew overhead him and the troopers at his side.

"I'm on it sir." The sniper replied while looking down the scope of her sniper rifle.

She squeezed the trigger and fired at the targets that were currently attacking her comrades. The first laser bolts burned through a Jackal's head while the rest hit a Grunt's throat. It took more than one shot to kill an Elite but even they were picked off by the seasoned nova trooper. Her armor was dirty with dust and soil but still completely intact. More importantly it protected her against the covenant soldiers who tried to retaliate.

"Sir, more covenant troops inbound. They're coming by shuttle." She said as she spotted two Phantoms flying in their direction.

"Understood dusk two." Dusk one replied before switching comm channels. "This is NT-2241, I require AA fire at my location. Two enemy gunships are inbound."

The comms had some static disturbing the signal but the message got through. "Roger that NT-2241. AT-AAs are ready to fire."

As the Phantoms got closer they noticed the imperial walkers too late. The missile launchers on the AT-AAs aimed at the two transports and launched a salvo of missiles. Trying to evade the incoming missiles, the covenant pilots quickly turned to the side. Some of the missiles missed but the gunships were too much in the open. The covenant vehicles exploded and the soldiers aboard died a fiery death. Most of the storm troopers cheered when they saw the flaming wrecks crash on top of covenant troops.

Dusk one mentally gave the AT-AAs a thumbs up and aimed his blaster rifle before firing at a Grunt who was out in the open. The smaller lifeform let out a cry of pain as he was hit three times in the chest. The nova trooper crouched behind his cover and saw another trooper crawl towards him.

"Sir, we're getting armored support to break through this last line of defense. Our 2-M tanks and AT-ATs are nearing our position." The storm trooper reported while a TIE fighter crashed near their foxhole.

"That's some of the best news I got all day." Dusk one replied and patted the man's shoulder. "Attention all troopers! Armored support is inbound. Hold out until they arrive and wait until they form a hole for us to push through. For the empire!"

The storm troopers stood their ground, awaiting the arrival of their tanks, and kept the pressure on the Covenant. Instead of pushing forward they set up E-web emplacements and mortars to weaken their foe. However, that did not stop the covenant soldiers from killing more and more troopers. White armor melted as plasma bolts hit the imperials, their flesh and bones reduced to a crisp. All of the storm troopers had to keep their heads low and take potshots just to survive.

A few minutes later the ground shook slightly, and not from a crashed ship.

Five AT-ATs marched forward while a cluster of 2-M hover tanks drove at their sides. The heads of the massive imperial war machines glared down at the covenant soldiers and fired at will. Bodies were pierced by the light cannons while some were either blown to bits or flung aside by the heavy laser cannons. The covenant gunners quickly aimed their turrets at the walkers but it had little effect. Protected by heavy armor, the AT-ATs waltzed right through the battlefield while eliminating targets left and right.

A covenant Wraith launched a blob of plasma at the nearest AT-AT in retaliation. Blue fire washed over the back of the imperial walker but aside from a scorch mark it still functioned. The AT-AT drivers were rather displeased by the futile attempt and quickly aimed the chin-mounted cannons at the purple tank. The cannons shuddered as red laser bolts erupted out of them, thunderous noise caused by the action deafening some nearby bystanders. Both ruby bolts struck the plasma mortar of the Wraith and caused it to blow up spectacularly. Leftover debris aflame and shrapnel killing two Jackals.

"Five-two, there are two tanks advancing in front of you." The imperial commander in charge of the walkers informed the other walker while standing inside his own.

"Understood. Taking them out." One of the walker's drivers answered.

The commander watched as the AT-AT fired at the two Locusts. One got its legs torn off while the other succumbed to laser fire and blew up. The covenant vehicles were doing damage to their walkers for sure, but not enough to actually destroy or cripple them. The AT-ATs on the other hand had no such problem.

"Looks like the enemy is gathering at that crater." A driver remarked gaining the commander's attention.

He lowered the periscope and zoomed in on the covenant forces down below. Groups of the smaller aliens, Grunts if he recalled correctly, were being called to the front by the larger covenant warriors. Many of the Grunts seemed to be carrying heavy weapons while the others were most likely reinforcements. The imperial officer also spotted four of the organic tanks that the covenant employed; Hunters. A couple of droids were present as well.

"Let's take down this rabble in one fell swoop." The commander declared and activated the comms, opening a direct line to one of the star destroyers above them. "Requesting orbital bombardment at provided coordinates. We have eyes on a major covenant counter assault force and need backup. Authorized by service number 555-478-120."

After sending the coordinates provided by the periscope's tactical computer, the commander waited for the bombardment to start. It didn't take long even with the still ongoing fight between imperial and covenant warships in the air. One of the Victories adjusted some of its turbolaser batteries until they were aimed at the gathering of covenant forces. The ship's captain gave the order to fire and soon green lances of light descended upon the planet's surface. Most of the land was already scarred but now it was positively devastated. The imperials watched as entire squads of covenant soldiers were annihilated by the bombardment of the Victory. Their fortified positions and reinforcements were simply wiped out by the turbolasers.

Inside the AT-AT the drivers chuckled while the officer gazed at the battlefield through the periscope. He gave no outward sign of happiness like many other soldiers but he did feel some satisfaction.

"All hover tanks, line up and move forward. Create cover for our infantry." The commander ordered quickly to capitalize on this strike. "AT-ATs, advance and provide covering fire for the rest of our forces. This is our chance to wipe them out. Show our foes the might of the empire."

Dozens of hovering tanks lined up at each other's side and slowly drove forward. The storm troopers crawled out of their improvised foxholes or makeshift cover and gathered behind the tanks. Plasma fire instantly struck the vehicles when they drove through the smoke but their armor held out. Cannons roared as the 2-M tanks returned fire at the defenders, ruby bolts of extreme heat soaring through the air. Some of the storm troopers took potshots but they mostly remained behind the tanks.

The lumbering walkers behind the hover tanks also shot at the covenant army while slowly moving forward. From their higher position they could clearly see what was up ahead and used this to their advantage as they cleared troops and armor that was dug in. Their laser cannons had to cool down sometimes to prevent overheating. Banshees that could be spared wasted no time and immediately attacked the imperials down below. One of the tanks went up in flames when it was hit by at least two fuel rod cannons. Some of the plasma bolts struck close to the necks of the walkers but luckily none were successful. On the ground some troopers equipped with rocket launchers aimed at the group of Banshees and locked on. Multiple rockets flew at the covenant aircraft and removed the airborne threat.

Dusk one kept his head out of sight as plasma flew past the tank he was hiding behind. Troopers at his side all wisely followed his example. None of them wanted to end up like some of the more foolish storm troopers.

"All units, we have gained enough ground. Move in and finish this!" The imperial commander ordered over the comm network.

The nova trooper removed his gloved hand from his helmet's comm and nodded at the soldiers at his side. "That's our sign boys. Let them have it!"

The gaps between the hover tanks were soon filled with waves of storm troopers. They all opened fire at the covenant forces that remained after the bombardments and used every weapon in their arsenal. Storm troopers used their blaster rifles, shock troopers fired their heavy blasters, the heavy troopers unleashed hails of laser bolts with their Z-6 rotary cannons and the jump troopers attacked from above. Every living being in their line of sight was shot down without any mercy.

Elites stood their ground valiantly but were ultimately cut down by either the troopers, the tanks or the walkers. Not even the Hunters that survived so far could stop the imperial advance.

"Sir, the enemy seems to be retreating." A trooper at dusk one's side remarked.

"I don't see any dropships nor do they have any ground left to retreat to." The nova trooper retorted. "They're not going to go down without a fight."

"Kriffing hell! Is that one of those UNSC super soldiers?" A scout trooper using macrobinoculars spoke up sounding astonished.

Dusk one frowned and took the piece of equipment to take a look. He zoomed in on the Forerunner building and sure enough he saw the Spartan. The large green armored warrior was fighting through a wave of Forerunner droids with no visible effort. He just punched his way through one of the larger droids after barraging it with bullets first, orange light coming from the droid moments later as it dissolved.

"By the nine corellian hells, that guy is a powerhouse." The elite trooper stated feeling rather self-conscious when looking at a foe that could take on a small army on his own.

"We can send in a few squads to deal with him." An officer proposed but dusk one shook his head.

"Our troopers can't beat that one." He retorted exasperated. "We should focus on the aliens for now. Besides, if that guy wants to clear out a whole building of those things then I won't stop him."

"Can't hurt to investigate." The officer persisted and pointed at a few troopers. "DY-4862, DY-7785 and DY-1974 get your squads inside and follow that Spartan."

"Understood sir. You heard him troopers, let's get inside!"

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **Forerunner temple**

Chief carefully watched his surroundings as he entered some sort of central chamber inside the temple. It was a large circular room with a raised platform while some sort of orange void deep down below. A quick look told him that was in fact a very deep chasm. He didn't need to think a lot about what the orange glow was. Chief cautiously walked over the bridge made out of hardlight that shone a bright blue. His radar showed no signs of movement nor did his senses pick up anything.

So far all he had had encountered were Prometheans, not a single covenant soldier or an imperial storm trooper. A welcome change from the chaos back outside but something was terribly wrong, he could feel it. It was a feeling he always had when danger surrounded him.

"Alright so this is where the controls are to the lock that keeps his ship in the ground." Cortana spoke up while he moved towards the platform.

"And you're certain of this?" Chief asked again.

While he never doubted Cortana, he did doubt her information and choices now that she was suffering from rampancy. She was holding it together but for how long? He needed to be able to rely on her inside this metal fortress.

"The Librarian said so. AND YOU DON'T DOUBT HER!" Cortana said calmly before shouting the last sentence.

"Cortana." Chief growled sternly.

His HUD flashed red for a few more moments, which was unacceptable since they were inside enemy territory, before returning to normal.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Cortana whispered in agony. "The voices are too much for me."

"It'll be alright." Chief replied like usual. By now it had become a mantra even he had to repeat in his mind.

Master Chief was halfway when a feeling of dread filled him. One that he was very familiar with.

"You persist too long after your own defeat."

He aimed behind him but there was nothing but air. As far as he knew the Didact wasn't capable of becoming invisible so he stayed alert. The voice had sounded as if it came from everywhere, a trick that the Didact seemingly loved to use. Chief kept his finger on the trigger and turned around to go on.

What he didn't notice was the Didact's armored form descending behind him. The Forerunner regarded the human in front of him with disdain and raw hatred. His long fingers tightened as he gazed upon his treacherous wife's master plan.

"Come then, warrior." He spat as his eyes narrowed and his glare became as cold as ice. "Have your resolution."

Chief turned around but the Didact was faster and telekinetically swatted him aside. The rifle in the Spartan's hands was dropped on the hardlight bridge while Chief skidded to a halt and he stopped in a crouch. He glanced at his rifle for a moment before rushing off to get it. Just as he reached out to grab it he stopped mid-air against his will.

Chief struggled as he caught in the Didact's forcefield and held up in the air. The Didact slowly walked forward while his helmet shifted until the Forerunner's face was visible.

"So misguided." The Didact mused as he gazed upon the captured Spartan.

No matter how hard he tried, Chief couldn't break free. The Didact's grip on him was absolute and there was no escape from his predicament. The tall Forerunner warrior slowly walked past the Master Chief but kept his eyes on the Spartan at all times.

"Chief!" Cortana shouted in fear for her friend.

"Your concern for the human is misplaced." The Didact spoke up condescendingly, obviously having heard her exclamation. "What I'm planning to do with the composer is kindness."

"Well sorry if we don't see it that way!" Cortana retorted angrily.

"Once all of humanity in this galaxy has been turned, I will do the same to the mutants. They may have escaped the flood, but they will not escape me." The Didact growled and narrowed his orange eyes that burned like embers.

Chief grunted as he felt the forcefield put pressure on him. Parts of his armor began to dent and give away under all that pressure. The Didact simply watched as he slowly crushed his foe, enjoying the moment with sadistic glee.

Until a red laser bolt passed his face by mere inches. The Didact snarled as he looked at where it came from and saw twelve storm troopers at the beginning of the hardlight bridge, their rifles shooting laser bolts at him and the Spartan.

He angrily threw the Chief away and focused on the storm troopers as his helmet reformed around his deformed face.

"John!" Cortana yelled as they flew over the ridge of the bridge.

Chief grunted and quickly reached out to the end of the blue bridge. His hand clawed at the artificial construction and managed to get a hold of it in time. Using all of his remaining strength he pulled himself upwards just in time to see the Didact plunge his talons in a storm trooper's chest, coating both the Forerunner and the human in red. All of the storm troopers were dead, their armor ripped to shreds with ease by the large Forerunner warlord.

Without delay Chief ran after his rifle again and this time successfully grabbed it. He aimed it at the back of the Didact and shot a few bursts but they bounced off the being's armor. The Didact growled and turned around and with speed that one wouldn't think him capable of he swiped at the Master Chief with his talons.

"Look out!" Cortana warned her friend who quickly leaned backwards.

The attack missed only partially as it destroyed the Chief's weapon. Using his own speed, he lunged forward and unsheathed his combat knife. The Didact saw it coming and grabbed the Spartan's arm, stopping it before it could strike. However, the Master Chief anticipated this and opened his palm allowing the knife to drop right into his other hand.

"No!" The Didact growled and tried to stop him but in vain.

The knife plunged into the Didact's right eye with all the force that Chief could muster. The Didact cried out in pain but more out of shocking surprise. The fact that the human in front of him had managed to wound him was such a surprise that it momentarily stunned him. Chief fell back on the bridge and rolled away.

He was about to move but found himself trapped once more in the Forerunner's forcefield. The Didact staggered as he got up with one hand stretched out towards the Spartan II while his other grasped the knife. With one quick tug he pulled it out of his face, the metal coated in a black layer of blood.

"You hurt me." The Didact stated in a dull tone as if he himself was trying to understand it.

He looked at the culprit in front of him and snarled behind his helmet while blood oozed out of the wound. He let out an angry growl and once more put pressure on the Chief's body. However, as he did so the hardlight bridge began flickering as if it was straining to stay activated. The Didact stared confusedly at what was going on when suddenly multiple Cortanas rose from the bridge. Confused by this, Chief checked his suit and saw that the AI was no longer inside it. How she had managed to do this baffled him but there were more pressing concerns at the moment.

"You WILL _not_ HURT **HIM**!" She shouted in her distorted voice that was unlike anything she had ever done.

Both the Chief and the Didact were surprised by her actions. The Didact couldn't comprehend why the construct was doing this while the Chief watched in agony, not from the pain of the Forerunner warrior's forcefield but from seeing his friend change into something she wasn't. The malice in the eyes of one of the avatars, the insanity in another, the grief in one's facial expression, the love in another's whole posture.

"Your compassion for humanity is foolish." The Didact spat at her.

"I'M _not_ **DOING** _THIS_ for _**mankind**_." The collective voice of the Cortana copies declared.

The copies simultaneously jumped at the Didact as they dissolved into wisps of blue light. The tendrils attached themselves to the Forerunner before shooting out towards the bridge, effectively binding him to his spot. The Didact struggled as he tried to free himself from the blue tendrils but they held strong even against his formidable strength.

Chief fell on the ground again next to a mutilated corpse of a storm trooper and saw a spherical device attached to its belt. Recognizing it as a grenade, he picked up the thermal detonator and ran at the Didact. He armed it before planting it into his foe's chest that was exposed due to Cortana's interference. Bellowing a loud cry of anger, the Didact broke out of his restraints and smacked the Master Chief away.

"Enough of this!" The Didact yelled breaking his composure and showing the raw hatred, sadness, anger and frustration that he felt for thousands of years upon his imprisonment by his own wife.

He walked forward, completely free from Cortana's restraints, when suddenly an explosion erupted from his chest. The Didact stumbled backwards, hunched over as he placed his arms around his chest. He looked up at the Master Chief with disbelief noticeable even while he had his helmet on. Chief watched as his dreaded foe still reeled from the blast and finally fell over the edge, plummeting down towards the orange abyss.

With great effort he got up, looked over the edge but saw nothing, and stood there searching for his friend.

"Cortana? Cortana, do you read? Cortana, come in." He said trying to find her but she didn't answer.

"John…"

He turned around and saw the terminal on the platform flickering on and off. He sprinted towards the machine and saw a hologram of Cortana appear. Her stance practically screamed sadness and she looked down at her feet.

"Cortana, let's go. We need to get out of here." He told her and reached for his AI chip but stopped when she raised her hand.

"I'm not coming back John." The AI said and finally looked up. "Not this time."

"What do you mean? We need to get you back so-"

"The Didact's ship is activating but without him here to take control of it, it will self-destruct. A failsafe of the Didact." She informed him solemnly. "As long as I stay here the lock will remain in place and contain most of the blast but the results will probably be disastrous. You need to warn the _Infinity_ so you can evacuate Requiem."

Chief stood there in silence. Never before had he felt so, defeated, even with the Didact's demise. Losing his friend like this was too painful for him. It reminded him of his Spartan family, all those that he lost in the war.

"It was my job to take care of you." He whispered and looked away.

Cortana smiled sadly at him. "We were supposed to take care of it each other. And we did."

Hearing those words only filled his heart with more grief. He returned his gaze to the blue woman in front of him and sighed in defeat.

"Cortana. Please." He pleaded softly.

Cortana shook her head as her form began to distort and dissolve. His friend was dying right in front of him, all alone in this Forerunner room. Just like another friend that he lost years ago but to him not more than week.

"Go home John." She told him with a sad yet satisfied smile. "Goodbye."

She was gone.

And he remained alone.

He stood there for half a minute before turning around and leaving the temple with a broken heart.

* * *

 **Requiem**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Bridge**

"Hurry up people, we don't have much time left!" Del Rio yelled as he walked around the command deck. "How are those evacuations going?"

"Everyone is accounted for sir." Lasky told his commanding officer with a tired look.

"Then get us the hell off this rock!"

"Aye sir." The helmsman replied immediately.

The UNSC flagship shook as it ascended slowly, its hangars closing now that all shuttles were onboard. The engines flared as the ship was propelled upwards through the clouds of Requiem. Even with the loss of many engineers and substantial damage that would have to be repaired, the engine deck was fully operational. The bridge crew members all held their breath as the warship neared the giant gate of the Forerunner shield world. Luckily for them it was now completely open and there was no gravity well to pull them down.

On their left a dozen imperial ships headed towards the gateway as well. Their hulls were damaged and one was even actively having a fire if the smoke was any indication but apparently the imperials had found out about the energy buildup beneath the surface as well. Even from their current altitude the fires and eruptions on the planet down below were visible. Molten lava and fires were consuming the environment.

"Let's hope the imperials are smart enough not to start a fight." Lasky muttered to Palmer who snorted in reply.

As the exit came closer, the hope of freedom grew in everyone on the ship. Some were praying nothing would go wrong while others simply stared at the blackness of space that was now visible.

The _Infinity_ soared through the air and finally left the clutches of the shield world and the Prometheans. They were soon followed by the imperial remnants that left in another direction. The whole bridge cheered and even Del Rio relaxed slightly but remained business.

"Alright people settle down. Nav, get us in slipspace and bring us back home." The captain ordered.

Lasky walked out of the bridge and headed towards one of the viewports. There he found the legendary Master Chief standing all alone, watching as the metal planet became smaller and smaller as they left. As soon as Lasky walked up to him the view changed to the lights of a slipspace wormhole.

Both of them remained quiet for a second to gather their thoughts before Lasky spoke first.

"Mind if I join you?" Lasky asked respectfully.

He was aware that Cortana was gone. He also knew that for someone like the Master Chief, that was a difficult loss.

"Of course not sir." Chief replied emotionlessly as he looked at the man that had supported both him and Cortana the whole time.

"At ease, Chief. It feels kind of off for you to call me sir." Lasky replied kindly.

They became quiet once more and looked out the viewport. It was a peaceful silence, and while he normally would be rather alone, Chief appreciated the company.

"I've always disliked slipspace. Way too tricky for my tastes." Lasky spoke up trying to get a conversation going but Chief remained silent. "You don't talk much, do you? Chief, I won't pretend to know how you feel. I've lost people I care about, but… never anything like you're going through."

"Our duty, as soldiers, is to protect humanity. Whatever the cost." Chief replied without any emotion like before, but Lasky heard how much more quiet he was.

"You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines. We're just people." Lasky told the Spartan II in all honesty.

Chief turned his gaze towards Lasky again, those words having a much larger impact on him than he let on. Grief struck Chief once more, and he looked away in silence. Lasky was aware of how much the Chief would like some time to himself and nodded.

"I'll let you have the deck to yourself." He said empathetically and moved away.

"She said that to me once." Chief suddenly spoke up, loud enough for Lasky to hear. "About being a machine."

Lasky nodded in understanding and left the Master Chief alone.

John-117 could now properly grieve his friend.

* * *

 **So that's that. As you've probably noticed, I've changed a lot about the Halo 4 events but I tried to have certain elements remain the same. Nevertheless this wraps up Halo 4.**

 **As for the Didact, well that was a bit difficult. We all know how little we actually saw from in Halo 4 and I'm not going to buy the comic in which he appeared just for this (but I did order halo warfleet and some others). I've looked for what he could do and all that stuff but honestly aside from the fact that he killed an entire team of Spartans and fought with blue team (how does he even survive a knife in his head!?), I've decided to give you some action but not that much just like the game gave us. But hey who knows, maybe he'll return or maybe he won't.**

 **The other reason as to why I wrote it like this is because if the Didact survived or anything like that, then it would be a bit too much of mess with the star wars universe. I don't really know how I should explain this but because of how little I know of what the Didact is capable of I just didn't see it working to put this certain Halo element in the crossover. That's just my opinion. Well, that and it would most likely have negative effects on my ideas that I have for the future chapters.**

 **Another quick thing I want to say is, please think before you review. I don't mind being criticized but try to make it at least a bit constructive.**

 **For example:**

" **Oh come on, the empire could send a single star destroyer and destroy all of the halo guys easily. Cause the turbo blasts fire 200 GIGATONS. How hard is that for people to understand."**

 **That's not difficult to understand, those are just ridiculous numbers that I don't agree with.**

" **Bull crap! Sabers have energy shields, gauss were meant to take out covenant vehicles easily with 2-3 shots a at st would be out. Also MACs would guy star destroyers any day, their shielding was meant for energy weapons, amateur."**

 **As for the AT-ST, perhaps it would have, I'm no expert. As for the shields, the star wars universe uses ray and particle shielding. Now you can say what you want but in this story both of them are active at the same time. And please stop the petty insults, the fact that I'm an amateur was known to me before the first chapter was posted.**

 **There was also a review about Cole protocol but it's a bit too long to put it in here. But there was one thing about it that I just couldn't help but laugh at.**

" **And you keep writing it I guess as some people seem to like it. However given a good portion of these people have ether Star Wars related usernames or related profile pics, does mean that you should take what praise they give you with some salt, as they would likely not approach anything that you write in this story with any neutrality towards the franchises in this story."**

 **I'm sorry but that's just too funny considering many of the people who review also tell me I have facts about star wars wrong. Or people who love Halo more tell me it's good work.**

 **So here's the truth and pure facts. I do not consider this a good story nor do I see myself as a good writer, I really don't. And yes I have done many things wrong such as the Interdictors (which I'm actually planning on fixing), I make a lot of mistakes when it comes to UNSC protocols and there are many more. However, I think that some of my decisions can be justified. Let's take a look at when that general surrendered to Darth Vader. UNSC pride is something you can't beat that easily, but in the end we're talking about humans, not people who are all invincible. His forces were on the point of annihilation and Darth Vader was influencing him through the force. What are you going to do then? Die and take a few more troopers with you or live to fight another day?**

 **And as for the force, well this is a star wars/halo crossover. If you're more of a halo fan than a star wars fan and you don't like the force, then you're not exactly in the right category on this site. And sure, I might have showed Darth Vader as an overpowered warrior, but now it's my turn to say "have you even read the lore?" because this guy literally took an army head-on and won without being injured. I know the force can be overpowered, but what about Spartans? They're like jedi and sith, extremely powerful but can die as well. Are you seriously going to tell me that it's okay for the Chief to wreck entire armies but Vader can't?**

 **And Halo fans, it's alright to say that you think your faction is going to win. But for the love of all that is holy, stop saying that the UNSC can beat anyone or is super-advanced enough to beat everything. As I see it, the only reason why they survived the war is because of the Arbiter and the Sangheili. Were it not for the Great Schism then humanity would have been stomped by the Covenant.**

 **And Star Wars fans, it's alright to say that Darth Vader is strong and that the empire has a large production capability to go up against the UNSC. But for the love of all that is holy, their weapons can't destroy enemy ships in one hit nor can they beat the UNSC left and right.**

 **As I see it, the UNSC can sometimes be so overrated while the empire is also underrated at certain times. Each faction has pros and cons in leadership, ships, tech, weapons, soldiers, and so on. How do I even kill the plot by not doing research, I thought I was the only one who knew the plot? The reason why it looked as if the empire was so overpowered and things like that in the first chapters is because in my opinion the UNSC is extremely good at adapting to enemies. They didn't make grand victories against the Covenant at the start of the great war either.**

 **And you've told me many times; I'm bad at writing, bad in research, and many other things. I get that, message understood loud and clear. But this is fanfiction and I'm allowed to write the things that I want to write. I do try my best to do research, whenever I look at ships and tech I go to the wiki sites of both Halo and Star Wars. You tell me that this story is garbage, that I'm "the 7th king of bull shit",…**

 **Well maybe I am. I apparently offended you by "opening my worthless mouth". But there are some people who actually like this story, don't ask me why I don't understand it either, but they do. And that's why I'm not stopping with this story, and to all of you people who like to insult me I say: give it your best shot, by now you've already broken my self-esteem. There is nothing left for you to destroy.**

 **Phew, you have no idea how long I've wanted to say that. Sorry for the rant everyone, but let's be honest that reviews can be extremely difficult. Just next time try to tell me how I can improve instead of only pointing out faults. This story has received a lot of negative opinions, some justified and some not so much.**

 **Well I'll see you guys next time when I post the new chapters in 2018. I'll already say this: Happy New Year!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Exams are over! Yeeha!**

* * *

 _ **Weeks after the battle of Requiem**_

 **Earth's orbit**

 **Cairo station**

 **Lord Hood's office**

Fleet admiral Terrence Hood silently sipped his coffee as he waited in his office for his guests. It were peaceful moments like these that he could just sit calmly in his chair. There were no reports, no plans to make, no issues to deal with, just nothing except for his favorite bland of coffee in his favorite mug. His desk was empty for once, no datapads on it or any other files. No, at this moment, he was just waiting for his guests while he sat back and used the time to have some inner peace. His age was getting troublesome, not enough to hinder his work of course, but an annoyance nonetheless. That's why he always savored moments like these.

Lord Hood turned around in his chair and gazed at mother earth, untouched by the war that was raging on in the outer colonies. He dreaded to think what would happen if the empire discovered its location. One night he had dreamed of hundreds of imperial star destroyers floating in its orbit, raining down green lances of light upon his home world, while he was forced to watch. He had woken up that night to go over a few more battle plans to calm himself down. Doing something productive always shunned dreams like those away.

His gaze drifted to the task force that had been assembled hours ago. An entire UNSC fleet ready to attack the imperial space station that had been acting as a staging area for the empire since the beginning of the war. The task force was made up out of ships from various fleets but it also contained the pride of the UNSC; the _Infinity_. The large and powerful warship, capable of destroying dozens of ships on its own, was finally repaired after its adventure on Requiem. Aside from the Infinity-class supercarrier it was also composed out of autumn-class heavy cruisers, poseidon-class light carriers, halberd-class destroyers, paris-class heavy frigates, strident-class heavy frigates and even three sahara-class heavy prowlers. These were all the ships they could spare at the moment so they would have to do.

It was a sizeable force and should be able to do the job. Normally he would try to get more ships available for a task like this but with the UNSC's flagship accompanying it he was much more confident in the rate of success.

Speaking of the _Infinity_ , its new captain seemed to be arriving.

"Come in." Hood said loudly and took one last sip of his coffee before turning around to face his guests.

Standing in front of him were the newly promoted captain Lasky and commander Palmer. Both were the most important officers on the supercarrier, one being its new captain and the other the commanding officer of its Spartan division. After the battle of Requiem it was decided that due to the faults in Del Rio's leadership, he was to be relieved of command and replaced by its second-in-command; Thomas Lasky. The man had performed admirable during the battle as did Palmer which gained them recommendations and even one from Master Chief himself.

Seeing the large armored Spartan in his office was a relieving sight as well. He stood there next to the two officers while his team stood close to their found brother. Blue Team was an incredible sight to behold. Its leader John-117, savior of humanity and dubbed the Master Chief, was the best Spartan that the UNSC had. Even Thel 'Vadam, arbiter and leader of Sanghelios, respected him immensely and even openly admitted that he saw the Master Chief as an ally.

Then there were the others that formed Blue Team. Fred-104 was an incredible fighter when it came to close quarters combat, being an exceptional leader in his own right and amazingly skilled with a combat knife. Fred was also the most caring of their family. Kelly-087 was the fastest human alive, her speed even outranking that of her fellow Spartans. If someone had the best humor of the four then it would be her. Her speed also rewarded her with the nickname 'Rabbit' alongside her fellow Spartan IIs. Lastly there was Linda-058 who was the best sniper. Her skills with the sniper rifle were so legendary that one could call it art. Compared to the rest of her fellow Spartans she was the quietest and most introvert.

Hood nodded at the six and gestured for Palmer and Lasky to take a seat, knowing that Blue Team would prefer to remain standing.

"I'm sure you're all aware of why I called for you." He began as he eyed them all. "Within four hours task force retribution will depart for the imperial staging system. Normally rear admiral Sanders would have led the mission but due to recent events he couldn't make it. Therefore I will be taking command."

Lasky and Palmer their eyes widened slightly in surprise that lord Hood himself would be leading this battle.

"We understand sir." Lasky told the fleet admiral.

"Good. Now as for the more important reason I called you here, I wanted to talk to you about something confidential." Hood said seriously. "As you all know, the destruction of the imperial bases and space station in the system is our primary objective. Aside from that the secondary objective is gaining any intel on our foe. However, I wanted to stress just how important this actually is. Our scientists have come up with the theory that since the imperials are from another galaxy, there has to be some sort of gateway that allows them to travel from theirs to ours and also the opposite."

"Is there any concrete proof to this theory?" Palmer asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Their method of FTL is a lot different than ours as you should know by now. Their 'hyperdrive' allows them to travel through something called hyperspace which is quite different than slipspace. They need to map routes if they want to travel properly through space. It's fast but even they would need at least some sort of gateway to cross the distance between galaxies safely. That and gathered intel did mention something about wormholes. I don't understand much of it but nevertheless it's an objective." Hood explained and turned his gaze to the Chief. "Am I understood?"

"Yes sir. We'll get it done." Chief replied stoically.

"I didn't expect anything less from you son." Hood said and showed a tiny smirk. "I also wanted to discuss a few tactics we'll be using as well…"

* * *

 **Rahnelo system**

 **Asteroid belt close to Rahnelo**

 **ORS-class heavy cruiser** _ **Relief of Truth**_

Fleetmaster 'Zotum clicked his mandibles in silent thoughtfulness as he pondered on his current predicament.

As a Fleetmaster he was in command of an entire Sangheili task force. While the Swords of Sanghelios did not have a navy as large as that of the now disbanded Covenant empire, it did have numerous ships at its disposal. His task force of Vengeful Resistance consisted out of a several dozen of ships and had a defensive purpose. His task was to protect Sangheili systems from enemy intent. Be it covenant, Jiralhanae or Kig-Yar pirates or even humans, he would answer the arbiter's call and deal with the threat.

And now the threat was imperial in nature.

A few hours ago he had been given the order to travel to the Rahnelo system after contact was lost upon the sighting of imperial warships. Upon his arrival he had immediately given the command to engage the imperial fleet that was invading the Sangheili colony, only to see the ships move away from the planet and retreat towards the asteroid belt that was close by. He couldn't ignore the fleet so he had decided to deploy his ground forces while his ships would engage the imperial fleet. Phantom dropships had left the hangars while his warships moved towards the enemy.

So now here he was, his ship delivering and taking hits as imperial star destroyers and Sangheili ships battled it out. Squadrons of Seraphs and Banshees engaged TIE squadrons while the capital ships fired volleys of plasma and laser bolts.

"Status report!" 'Zotum demanded sharply as a trio of concussion missiles exploded near the bridge.

"Our battlecruisers and light cruisers are holding out shipmaster, but we have lost almost all of our corvettes." A Sangheili naval officer reported.

"Imperial ships are slowly retreating. Their support vessels have been almost completely wiped out." Another one said.

The Fleetmaster nodded his approval. "As they should. We will tear their fleet apart piece by piece."

One victory-class star destroyer moved in front of two battle cruisers that were pursuing other ships and quickly barraged them with its turbolasers. The two cruisers' shields held out against the laser bolts that pounded on their shielded hulls. The plasma cannons turned to aim at the imperial ship and fired almost immediately. Blobs of plasma struck the Victory and weakened its shields and was eventually put down as four plasma torpedoes tore the upper part of the frigate apart. Its bridge was blown away and the rest of the ship began to drift without guidance.

'Zotum saw the frigate being beaten by the two battlecruisers and swelled with pride. These imperials weren't so powerful after all.

"Move our cruisers forward and fire plasma torpedoes at the fleeing ships. I want plasma lances to fire at the nearest imperial ships." 'Zotum ordered and stood up from his command chair.

"As you command Fleetmaster." His crew responded and quickly carried out the order.

The Sangheili warships stuck close as they pursued the imperial fleet. Beams of plasma lightened up the blackness of space as they shot out towards the star destroyers. The energy projectors caused substantial damage to the imperial forces as their beams either drained their shields or cut through their hulls like a hot knife through butter. Molten pieces of hulls floated around the sleek ships as they moved onwards.

They gave the empire no pause and were utterly relentless as they drove their foe away from their colony. Every warrior onboard was committed to the defense of their world and would not stop to cleanse it from hostiles. All pilots were determined as they maneuvered past turret fire to chased down TIE fighters. The crewmen of the ships had steeled their resolve and were dauntless even when turbolasers blew their hulls apart.

'Zotum crossed his arms while the battle raged on, his eyes sharply analyzing every new piece of information. From what he saw the empire was retreating but not using their FTL drives to escape. Apprehension and skepticism filled him as he watched as the imperials were about to link up with star destroyers that had been waiting for them. Even if they did link up they would still have difficulty to defeat his forces.

"Fleetmaster 'Zotum, I received word from our warriors on the ground." A Sangheili ultra reported as he halted next to the Fleetmaster.

"What news do they send?" He asked, turning his head to the brother at his side.

"They are experiencing heavy resistance from our foe. Instead of immediately assaulting our keeps, they settled down in good defensive positions such as the mountains. They have heavily fortified themselves with turrets and shields." The ultra replied with an almost puzzled expression. "A rather strange move."

'Zotum stroked his left mandibles in deep thought while staring at the battle that raged on in space. Ever since the beginning of the battle he had felt a small amount of uncertainty. Nothing that the imperials had done had been tactfully sound unless they had some ulterior motive.

There was the possibility that they were waiting for reinforcements. Perhaps they wanted to lure them in an exact position so their ships could use a precision jump to appear next to him, or above or below, or even behind him. Yet it still felt as if there was something else here, something that he was missing. Even so, the cruisers in the back of his formation should be able to deal with any new threat.

"Mhm… have our scanner picked up anything unusual?" He inquired and turned his attention to the ultra again.

"No Fleetmaster. Our scanners haven't reported anything new." The Sangheili answered immediately.

Outside of the ships the battle had shifted slightly in course. The imperial star destroyers now formed a neat line of defense while the rest of the ships moved to join them. A fresh wave of TIE fighters had been launched which now occupied all of the Sangheili Seraphs and Banshees. Light cruisers now focused to repel any incoming Seraphs that tried to perform a bombing run while the larger ships prioritized the battlecruisers of the Sangheili.

"Hostile ship on a crash vector with our battlecruiser!" A crewman shouted in warning.

'Zotum looked at it and saw a Victory that had been seriously damaged during the fight fly right at his ship. Fires and explosions erupted from the vessel as nearby Sangheili ships barraged it with plasma fire but it remained on course.

"Evasive maneuvers!" 'Zotum yelled loud enough to be heard.

The battlecruiser's engines flared as it just managed to get out of the way of the doomed star destroyer. It flew right past them and crashed into a light cruiser. The smaller vessel was destroyed upon impact and the debris of both ships rained upon a battlecruiser. No significant damage due to the reliable shields but it still took some form of punishment.

"These humans are madmen." The ultra growled.

"Then it is our duty to put them down. All ships advance!" Fleetmaster 'Zotum ordered and extended a talon at the tight formation of star destroyers.

All of the Sangheili cruisers advanced more vigorously now as they attacked the imperials with everything they had. To their credit, the imperials remained steadfast and actually retaliated successfully by coordinating their attacks. Bombers successfully broke through pulse laser fire and managed to drop a few proton bombs on the Sangheili vessels with satisfying results. On the other hand the TIE fighters were straining against the superior Seraphs.

Energy projectors powered up once more and besieged the star destroyers in tandem with the plasma torpedoes. By now the shields of the empire's warships were almost completely gone.

"Victory seems to be in our grasp Fleetmaster." The ultra at 'Zotum his side remarked confidently.

'Zotum on was still skeptical so he gave a halfhearted nod at the Sangheili's words.

"This can't be right…" 'Zotum heard someone mutter to his left.

The Fleetmaster turned to watch as a young Sangheili fiddled with his terminal. He recognized him as the crewman in charge of their sensors. The younger Sangheili was obviously puzzled by what his monitor was showing him which instantly caught 'Zotum his attention.

"Is something wrong?" He questioned as he walked over to him.

"The scanners are picking up strange gravitational readings from the asteroid belt Fleetmaster. The source is unknown." Came the answer of the Sangheili.

'Zotum frowned and his mandibles were pressed hard against each other in a grim expression. He thought about it for a second before coming to a decision.

"Get me a live feed of the asteroid belt." He ordered.

A screen popped up showing the large asteroid belt and he narrowed his reptilian eyes as he watched them. Nothing appeared to be wrong but then he noticed that a number of asteroids were moving. He squinted as they seemed to be making way for something.

" _But what could it be?"_ He pondered silently.

The leathery skin of his forehead crinkled in a frown as he looked closer. Dots of grey appeared as the asteroids parted which made 'Zotum frown even more. However, he widened his eyes in shock at what he saw as more asteroids floated apart.

Star destroyers were now completely visible as the last of the asteroids parted.

"By the gods, there are over a dozen of them!" The younger Sangheili exclaimed in surprise.

'Zotum understood his surprise as it was not caused by the number and sudden appearance of the ships but rather the size of some of them. The group of vessels that came out of the asteroids was composed out of ships that were over 2 kilometers long. One of them was a secutor-class star destroyer which had the same wedge shape of an imperial-class star destroyer but with the bridge design of a Venator. Aside from that it was also larger and wider than a standard star destroyer. However, it lacked the firepower of one but rather focused on acting as a carrier capable of carrying over a hundred starfighters. There were some Victories and a few Acclamators accompanied by the larger imperial-class but what stood out was the ship in the center of the formation. Leading the group was an allegiance-class battlecruiser which was modeled after the imperial-class star destroyer but much larger, more armored and heavier firepower. Protected by the other ships were a few Interdictors that were obviously responsible for manipulating the asteroids.

"How did they even manage to remain hidden on our sensors?" The ultra from previously wondered as he stood next to them with his mandibles open in surprise.

"They must have used the minerals inside those asteroids to conceal themselves. I should have remembered that." 'Zotum answered and berated himself for the costly mistake. "Alert the others and order our flank to engage those ships!"

"Fleetmaster, they have already launched strike craft!" A Sangheili called out in warning.

"Redirect our Seraphs and Banshees to intercept them then." He ordered firmly.

"They won't make it in time. The enemy is already upon us!" The ultra informed him and pointed at swarm of TIE starfighters.

All pulse lasers of the Sangheili vessels immediately opened fire to repel the TIE fighters and other starfighters that were attacking, but there were too many and they were already too close. Many TIE fighters were obliterated as they sped towards the cruisers but others simply took their place. All fighters primarily focused on the visible weapons, namely the pulse laser turrets. Green laser bolts struck the weapons which effectively lessened the strain on their squadrons.

TIE bombers flew past the starfighters and commenced bombing runs with great effect. One of the first cruisers to be hit was bombarded by dozens of them. Proton bombs, concussion missiles and proton torpedoes all tore armored plating apart like it was tissue paper. Entire decks were exposed to the cold vacuum of space and a few frozen corpses of Sangheili or Unggoy were floating away from the burning cruiser.

'Zotum snarled as he saw the cruisers on his flank get decimated by the starfighter assault. They were holding out but by now dozens of weapon emplacements were destroyed and one of them even had its engines disabled.

"How long until our pilots intercept them?" He demanded as he grimly analyzed the situation.

"They're almost there but the damage has been done." The ultra replied just as grim as he was. "The _Daunting Truth_ has reported massive damage to her reactor. The engineers onboard are trying to stabilize it but they believe they'll have to abandon ship."

"The enemy is firing at our flank!" A Sangheili cried out.

The star destroyers all simultaneously unleashed a hail of turbolaser fire. Blue lights flashed all around the Sangheili cruisers as hundreds of green laser bolts and blue ion shots slammed against the shielded hulls. The imperial battlecruiser advanced, while being escorted by two imperial-class star destroyers, leading the assault. Its multiple heavy turbolasers concentrated fire on a lone Sangheili cruiser which stood no chance against the heavy firepower of the battlecruiser.

More TIE fighters were destroyed by the superior Seraphs but they couldn't keep up with the staggering amount of starfighters that were present due to the imperial carrier. Whenever they chased after a squadron of TIE fighters there would be TIE bombers locking onto them with their concussion missiles or proton torpedoes. They'd perform evasive actions but this did not work with everyone. Once their shields were down they would be actively hunted by the interceptors.

Pulse lasers thinned out the horde but with the rate that the star destroyers were demolishing ships it wasn't enough. Turbolasers roared as they spat out lances of green energy at the Sangheili warships. However, if they were expecting an easy fight then they were completely wrong.

Instead of panicking, the Sangheili seemed to become even more determined to vanquish their foe. Plasma torpedoes burned through hulls, blobs of plasma melted weapon emplacements, pilots became even more brutal in their attacks by even going as far as to slam their Seraphs in enemy aircraft if there was no other possibility left. It became a devastating fight between the two factions.

Some of the Sangheili cruisers even performed precise slipspace jumps. It came as a big surprise to the command staff of a Victory when a cruiser appeared right above them. The gun emplacements on the frigate quickly turned upwards and managed to fire a few salvos before the enemy's energy projector fired a lance of pure energy at the imperial ship. A bright beam that blinded nearby pilots simply broke through the frigate's shields and cut it in half. Each piece of the ship drifted away from each other before the reactor detonated and caused a large enough explosion that killed both imperial and Sangheili pilots.

'Zotum pressed his mandibles together and grimly watched as another corvette under his command was torn apart by a Victory. How many of his warriors were dying? How many were lost in this engagement? There was no denying what was going on.

"Fleetmaster, at this rate-"

"I know." He cut off the ultra by raising a hand. "We've lost too many to create a victory out of this. However, we are not going to go down without a fight nor will we flee. We will stand together and fight on! For every Sangheili warrior that they kill we will kill two of theirs. Brothers and sisters, even if we die here we will do so with glory and honor. For Sanghelios!"

His words were heard by the entire bridge and they all roared their approval.

They were Sangheili, they were warriors.

And they demanded blood.

* * *

 **Rahnelo system**

 **ISD** _ **Chimaera**_

 **Command bridge**

Red eyes carefully observed the battle that raged on, a datapad in the man's hands as he calmly analyzed all the information that was fed him to by. Blue fingers methodically typed away on the device as he made notes on what he saw. They were about tactics, maneuvers, abilities, weapons and also the mindset that his enemy had. The notes were precise and detailed, not leaving anything out. He had been curious as to how the battle would carry on and was genuinely impressed. His foe played right into his hands, yes, but the fierceness and the sheer professionalism caused his respect for them to increase. The enemy ships were smooth in structure, almost organic looking, but they had tremendous firepower. The energy projectors that they utilized certainly got his attention, so he made a small side note to investigate this potential weapon later.

Yes, the Sangheili as they were called certainly met his expectations and even exceeded them.

When he first gave the order to retreat towards the asteroid belt he had been curious as to see how they would respond. Would they take the bait or not? Would they perhaps try to communicate with him? Upon their arrival the Sangheili had not wasted any time to fire upon his star destroyers, disappointing that he couldn't meet them but not necessarily a bad thing. Though he did like to just take a glimpse at them, to be able to read their posture and faces. They mostly gave away subtle hints but then again, one could always remain stoic and reveal nothing.

Nevertheless, as the battle came to a close with an imminent victory for his forces he took the time to file away his thoughts. He was hardly needed for the ground assault. Every commander knew of the plan to create fortifications at the landing zones and wait for their ships to emerge victorious and lend orbital support. A risk that did not escape him of course, if his fleet had been defeated then the men and women on the ground would have been doomed. Yet it was necessary in his eyes. Splinter groups of the Covenant only revealed so much about the species' culture. He needed to know how these separatist Sangheili would react.

"Grand admiral, the last of their ships are being destroyed as we speak. Are we to maintain our current course of action?" His XO asked as he stood at the white clad man's side.

"Keep firing until only one of their ships remain." Thrawn ordered with his usual calm and slightly monotone voice. "Disable its engines and then send out boarding parties. There is still much to learn about these Sangheili."

"As you wish sir." The imperial officer replied and moved to spread word to the other captains.

Thrawn felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time. Excitement. It was a rather interesting opportunity for them to have a look at one of the alien vessels. They would gain a lot of intelligence if they researched the ship's main systems such as the reactor, the FTL drive and their weapons. Even the alien corpses and tools would reveal much that they could use. This was something that Thrawn liked, learning more about his foes and how they operated.

However, it did not excite him as much as the report of one of their platoons on the planet. According to them they had landed right on top of a Sangheili cultural site. There was a small ruin of sorts with statues of Sangheili, alien symbols engraved in the pedestals of the statues. The images that had been sent had instantly caught his attention and he had ordered them to gather as many artifacts as they could, seal them away and prepare them for pickup. Even a single piece of art could make the difference and give him insight in the inner workings of the Sangheili people.

"Grand admiral, our forces planet side are reporting attacks from the locals." An ensign said, bringing the information the Chiss' attention.

"As expected of course. Are there any warships attacking them?" Thrawn replied.

"No sir, only aircraft along with infantry and some armor." The imperial crew member answered.

"Then they will have to hold out until we deal with the last of these ships." Thrawn stated and returned his attention to the viewports.

He was just in time to see three TIE defenders race past his bridge and go after a lone Seraph that had been separated from its original squadron. Unlike many other imperial officers, he used his forces to great effect. His superior planning and leadership allowed him to utilize any asset to the fullest capacity. His corvettes diligently neutralized any starfighter assaults on his capital ships which in return dealt with the opposing cruisers.

Thrawn added another note before gazing at the five remaining ships, eagerly awaiting the secrets that he would learn within hours.

* * *

 **Escala system**

 **Escala III**

 **Space elevator**

Corporal Anders yawned as he stood there in one of the elevator's docking bays along with his partner Atkins. Both were part of the marine corps but were at the moment stationed on the single space elevator that the small colony possessed. Only one ship was currently docked to one of the three docking bays, the UNSC _Hell Hound_ , which was a Paris-class heavy frigate for refueling. There were some smaller hangars with shuttles but none had the ability to dock a spaceship.

"Hey." Atkins spoke up as the dark skinned man leaned against the wall.

"Yeah?" Anders replied in an almost bored tone.

Both of them disliked getting menial jobs like guarding a space elevator but being on the frontlines was no joke. Besides, guarding a space elevator was not useless. In fact it was more than necessary due to the war and lingering insurrectionist movements.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" Atkins asked while resting his assault rifle against his chest.

"It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it?" Anders answered with a thoughtful expression. "Why are we here? I mean, are were the product of some cosmic coincidence? Or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us or and stuff. I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night."

A deafening silence took place as Anders looked satisfied with his answer while Atkins looked at him with a bewildered expression. The two stared at each other for a few seconds all the while silence reigned.

"What?!" Atkins finally asked in confusion. "I mean why are we out here? On this space station?"

"Oh. Uh…yeah."

"What was all that stuff about God?" Atkins further questioned while Anders simply stood there.

"Uh…hm? Nothing." His partner replied nonchalantly, or at least trying and failing miserably.

Atkins slowly nodded, not believing a word of it. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously though, why are we stationed here? As far as I know, the corps could use everyone out there on the battlefield. You don't necessarily need marines to guard this place right?" Atkins said as they just tried to forget the whole God part.

"I guess they need capable guys to defend it in case if it gets boarded." Anders replied with a shrug.

"Yeah right, as if that's going to happen soon." Atkins scoffed and hefted his rifle. "Even if they did they would get gunned down by this baby."

"Sure, whatever." Anders replied dryly as he subtly rolled his eyes.

Suddenly their comms buzzed as they were hailed by the station's security chief. Both immediately listened to the call.

"Anders, Atkins, we've got an incoming cargo freighter from the Liang-Dortmund corporation. Their arrival is unscheduled. Check their cargo the vessel itself." Came the low voice from their CO.

"Understood captain. We'll check it out." Atkins replied for both of them.

Minutes passed as the two marines waited for the transport to dock. Anders chose to pass the time by humming an old song from his childhood while Atkins blocked out the sound. Eventually the two felt the freighter dock with the space elevator. They nodded at each other as they readied their rifles. Anders pressed a button to unlock the door to the airlock. It opened up allowing the two to pass through the spacious grey corridor.

At the other side of the tube was another door, this one from the cargo freighter, which had the corporation's logo painted on it. When they were halfway there it also opened revealing a man in a captain's uniform followed by two workers. They remained there, waiting for the marines to arrive. The captain smiled and politely held out his hand while putting on a charming smile.

"Good day gentlemen. My name is captain Mark Temple. I'm the captain of the _Golem_." He introduced himself.

"Good day to you as well mister Temple." Atkins replied and shook his hand.

Anders politely nodded and did the same. The captain nodded back at him and dropped his hand at his side.

"Do you mind us coming aboard your ship mister Temple? We'd also like to know why you're making an unscheduled visit." Atkins asked with a polite yet firm tone.

"Of course! Please come aboard." Temple replied and motioned for the two marines to step inside. "If you would follow me then I'll bring you to the cargo hold."

The marines followed the captain while the two workers remained at the door. Temple led them through multiple corridors of the cargo freighter towards their destination.

"I do apologize for our unannounced arrival. Somehow our administration failed to send word but rest assured that all documents are in order. We've already sent them to your commanding officer so I believe we can settle this without any further problems." Temple explained as they moved.

"Well that makes it a lot easier for us." Anders commented. "What is that you guys are transporting?"

"Oh just some mining gear. One of our operations on the colony apparently had some technical problems while they were expanding their operation. Most of it are tools and machinery along with a lot of spare parts. Mostly electronics though." Was the captain's casual response.

"We'll see about that." Atkins spoke up neutrally.

The trio passed through a doorway and found themselves inside the cargo hold. There were many crates ranging from small ones to many large containers. The whole cargo hold was stocked to the brim with them. Anders whistled at the amount of it.

"That's a lot of equipment." He commented, feeling a little apprehensive.

"What can I say? I'm just a freighter captain, not someone from logistics." Temple replied with a small shrug but kept the friendly tone.

Atkins grabbed his flashlight while Anders stopped at a container. They wordlessly communicated to each other as they decided to begin their inspection.

"Would you mind us taking a look?" Anders asked and pointed at the yellow container with the corporation's logo stamped on it.

Temple smiled and said, "Be my guest."

Anders let his rifle hang around his neck as he removed the locks. He pulled at the metal door and with one tug he opened the container. Atkins quickly stepped up and turned the flashlight on to see what was inside. There were boxes with labels on them ranging from spare parts to wires, nothing suspicious as of yet. The marine went deeper inside the container to inspect the boxes while Anders kept an eye on the ship's captain.

Temple just stood there with his smile still present.

Atkins took out his knife and opened one of the boxes revealing a simple set of cables. Satisfied with what he saw, Atkins put the knife away and shone at the back of the large container. He saw nothing out of the ordinary at first but halted when he suddenly spotted something particular. It was as if he was looking at a skeleton of sorts.

"Hey Anders, get over here and help me with these boxes." He called out.

The other marine rose an eyebrow in confusion but came inside to help move the boxes. Together they lifted the heavy equipment and put it aside, box by box, to reveal what lay behind it. When most of the boxes were placed aside, Atkins shone his flashlight at the figures in the back that were previously concealed by the dark.

The things looked like robots! They were skinny and a brownish color, khaki perhaps, with curved heads. They had packs on their backs with antennas along with some strange looking weapons attached to them. There were no eyes except for black dots on the thin heads.

"What the hell are those?" Anders wondered and stared at the bunch of folded robots.

"They're none of your concern."

Both turned around to see Temple standing behind them along with two workers. Atkins and Anders widened their eyes in shock as the workers were armed with military grade assault rifles. Before they could do anything, be it raise their own rifles or even speak, the armed men opened fire. Blood erupted from the two unfortunate marines as they were gunned down mercilessly.

Temple's friendly smile was gone. Only a look of sadistic pleasure remained.

"Leave the bodies and prepare for the boarding action." He told the two men who nodded and exited the container.

Temple casted one more look at the now dead marines before he walked away. He stepped out of the container and saw his men opening the other containers and crates. Weapons were retrieved, racks of brown droids were taken out of their containers and even soldiers came out of their hiding places. They all wore protective gear, some being marine gear that was stolen, but painted black along with the symbol of the NCA or otherwise known as the new colonial alliance. An insurrectionist organization and labeled traitors by the UNSC.

"We'll have to act fast if we want to keep the element of surprise." A deep voice sounded to his right.

Temple turned around and saw his temporary allies approach him. One storm trooper squad to support the NCA along with the imperial battle droids. However, these weren't your regular imperial grunts.

This was task force 99, also known as Special Commando Advanced Recon, or in short SCAR squadron. They were special forces, some of the best the empire had to offer. Its members were all troopers with customized armor and each had its own specialized skills.

Zuke, the squad's specialist in heavy weapons and explosives who was the muscle of the squad.

Shrap, like Zuke also a heavy weapons specialist who wielded a flamethrower and explosive charges.

Misty, the squad's sniper and expert marksman.

Mic, the squad's slicer who was capable of breaking into and decrypting enemy computer systems.

Cav, the squad's melee specialist who was capable of assaulting targets in close quarters combat.

Aero, the squad's engineer who was capable of repairing and hot-wiring vehicles for transport.

And finally sergeant Kreel, the squad's commanding officer.

"Just make sure these droids of yours will do their job Kreel." Temple replied dismissively while gesturing for someone to bring his armor.

"The droids are here simply for additional firepower and cannon fodder." Kreel retorted. "The only reason why they're here instead of actual soldiers is because they can't be detected by the UNSC's thermal scans. SCAR squadron will achieve the objectives while you and your men secure the rest of the space elevator along with the droids."

"Speaking of securing the station, that frigate will pose a problem for us. No doubt that it has at least a whole platoon of marines onboard. If word gets out, which it will, then they'll reinforce the marines that are already stationed here." Temple said as he brought up a subject of great concern for him.

"Which makes it all the more important that we strike now." Kreel said, the light reflecting over his orange pauldron and the parts of his armor that weren't scarred.

"Boss, I can start activating the droids now." Mic announced while tapping on his TACPAD.

"Do it." Kreel merely replied.

Mic nodded and tapped a few holographic buttons to commence the activation sequence. The rows of battle droids suddenly powered on and began to unfold. They all stood up, grabbed their blasters and stood at parade rest. The rest of the droids also activated as well. They had standard B1s, B2s and even destroyer droids along with some commando droids. All of them cannon fodder for the imperial special forces and the insurrectionist forces.

"Remember that they'll respond to your orders but don't try anything funny." Kreel warned Temple in a threatening way that did not go unnoticed.

"Just get on with it." Temple retorted and began to put on his own armor.

Kreel shook his head in contempt and left the man alone. Their hatred for the UNSC worked out in their favor, but Kreel detested the insurrectionists. They reminded him too much of the rebel alliance back in their own galaxy. Nevertheless he would have to deal with it. At least the NCA proved to be capable of providing them with intel and support which was highly important for the imperial invasion.

"SCAR squadron with me." Kreel said as he moved towards the airlock.

His men fell in line behind him as they officially began their mission. They would move towards the space elevator control station while the insurrectionists and droids would secure the rest of the station. Even if one faction was discovered, which was impossible to evade, there would at least be some confusion as to why both were here. It wouldn't last forever but would most likely throw the marines off-guard.

"Once we get to the airlock I want Zuke and Cav to take point. Next up me, Shrap and Aero. Misty and Mic, cover our backs." Kreel ordered his men as he brandished his blaster rifle.

"Can't wait for the fun to begin." Zuke chuckled as he carried his heavy repeater blaster in his hands while his rocket launcher was safely secured on his back.

"Leave some for us big guy." Cav said with a grin beneath his scarred helmet.

"Both of you focus. We need to secure this station before the fleet arrives." Kreel reprimanded them.

"Come on sarge, you can't say you haven't been itching to kill some more UNSC dogs." Shrap spoke up, his flamethrower stowed away for now.

"All I care about is results." Kreel replied and waited for a moment before adding, "Though I can't complain of course."

"There is our sergeant." Aero said teasingly. "You see boys? Under all that formal and strict personality is a fellow SCAR trooper."

"Oh shut it Aero." Misty said as he adjusted his hood.

Cav took out one of his knives and began to twirl it in his hand. "I just hope that our _allies_ are up to the task."

"You sound as if you don't trust their ability to succeed." Zuke said as he looked down at his squad mate.

"Do you?" Cav retorted while looking back at the large man.

When you serve as a storm trooper for such a long time, you start to pick up what kind of face a fellow trooper makes beneath the helmet. The way it tilted, the tone,… it all gave away what kind of expression the wearer had on his face. At the moment, Cav's facial expression must have been one of the most deadpan looks one can give you.

"Fair enough." Zuke conceded and shrugged his wide shoulders, the rocket launcher moving in sync.

"Their numbers aren't reassuring but their skills are." Mic spoke up while reading a file made by Imperial Intelligence. "While they aren't exactly strong when it comes to all-out warfare, they are brilliant in espionage and sabotage. They apparently have agents in the UNSC and even in ONI. Their resources are substantial and most of their volunteers come from the outer colonies. They hold a grudge towards the UNSC and resent the inner colonies. According to this, they even have moles inside the Spartan IV branch though it is nothing but speculation at the moment."

"In other words, rebels that for once are on our side." Shrap muttered.

Kreel gripped his blaster tightly as they neared the exit which would give them access to the station. "Ready yourselves. Remember, stealth is of the essence for now. Try to remain unnoticed and kill anyone that might give away our position. Mic, is your scrambler functioning?"

"They won't even hear us sergeant." Came the tech specialist's response.

The imperial task force walked through the grey corridor and fully entered the space elevator. No guards were in sight and any cameras would be rendered useless thanks to Mic's hardware. Kreel glanced at the corners and gestured for them to move out. They wouldn't be wandering without directions, the insurrectionists had provided them with the necessary layout.

Cav and Zuke took point as requested, the tracker and the brute keeping their eyes open for any marines or other personnel. The squad stayed close to each other as they watched every corner. Mic kept his attention on the tactical info they had while also checking the motion tracker and the scrambler. They kept moving through the empty corridors of the space station that was teeming with hostiles.

Cav held up a hand and they all stopped. His hearing was one of the best amongst them. Moment passed as they remained there, only a few seconds later two marines walked past the corner. The duo hadn't spotted them yet. Cav glanced at the nearby closet and nodded at Zuke who understood what he meant.

The two chattering marines were caught unaware as a knife was stabbed in one's throat while the other had his neck snapped. Zuke picked up the two lifeless corpses with ease and threw them in the closet. Mic quickly locked the closet so no one would find out what was inside. Kreel quietly approved of the deed and motioned for them to continue onwards.

There were more guards up ahead. Three of them this time. Cav looked around the corner and spotted two marines who were standing guard while the third one was fiddling with an access panel. His clothing suggested he was a technician rather than a soldier. Cav made hand gestures towards Mic who nodded in understanding. The skilled tech specialist opened a new screen on his TACPAD and after a few seconds gave a thumbs up. Cav nodded and made another gesture for Zuke who also understood the wordless form of communication.

The SCAR scout counted down to three using his fingers before rushing out of their hiding spot. The moment his last finger went down Mic pressed a holographic button which caused the lights of the hallway to go out.

Surprised yells from the marines echoed but luckily weren't that loud enough for anyone else to hear. Cav had already activated his helmet's night vision allowing him to see in the dark space. He spotted the two marines who were looking around in confusion while the mechanic also stumbled in the dark. The special trooper unsheathed two of his knives and began his onslaught.

He dashed forward, sprinting as fast as he could. The closest marine heard the footsteps but couldn't properly see him and raised his rifle in apprehension. Cav swung his arm upwards, cutting through the man's throat and splattering blood all over the marine's uniform. Blood spluttered out of his mouth and he dropped the weapon. All his strength left him as the blood kept on pouring out of the wound, even with a hand trying to stop it. His knees buckled, he slowly fell on the floor right next to where his killer would have stood if he had waited for the marine's demise.

However, Cav hadn't remained standing there. Instead he had moved on to the next marine. She was now already on her guard and yelled out a warning, yet proved to be useless though as he spun his knives again. She cried out in pain as two blades were plunged in her sides. Cav had crouched before stabbing her, blood seeping out of the wounds. The marine groaned in pain, her nerves on fire as the blades remained lodged in her body, all the while Cav kept attacking.

Instead of finishing her off immediately he took out another knife out of his sheaths. He grabbed the tip of the blade with his fingers and threw it at the technician who had been trying to get away. It hit him right in the neck which not only inflicted a major wound but also cut off his air supply. He gagged as he tasted the copper taste of blood on his tongue. The red substance poured out of his mouth and neck as he fell on the floor.

Cav disregarded the dying technician and looked down at the groaning marine. Her silent cries of pain rocked her body, her wounds more than fatal. Cav was indifferent to her suffering but their mission was on a schedule. The assault of the insurrectionists was about to begin. He walked over to her and quickly finished her off before retrieving the knives.

The lights turned on again revealing the SCAR trooper standing amidst the bloody corpses, his knives already cleaned by wiping off the blood on their clothes.

"Nice job Cav." Shrap spoke up appreciatingly as the others approached.

"Less than 30 seconds." Misty commented as he glanced at the bodies before turning his gaze to Cav. "I'd have done it within ten seconds."

"Kriff off." Cav answered and pointed a knife at the sniper in a jesting manner.

"We're on a schedule people." Their sergeant interrupted. "Let's move onwards."

"Got it sarge." The troopers replied.

They left the bodies behind and continued moving towards their destination. They walked through another set of corridors before they finally reached their next obstacle and their first objective.

The station's commons room which was adjacent to the control room. It was the closest route and the reason why they had taken such a detour. The commons was the main room between the barracks and the station's control room, the barracks being closer to the airlock where their ship was docked.

"How much longer until Temple commences the attack?" Kreel asked Mic who was responsible for communication between the two factions.

"Right about…" An explosion shook the station and a moment later the alarms went off. "Now."

"So how are we going to do this sarge?" Zuke asked as he readied his blaster.

Kreel punched the access panel which made the door open. The marines and other UNSC personnel that had been relaxing in the commons were running around to get to their posts. Some spotted the SCAR troopers and cried out in warning.

"We do this SCAR style." Came the response of the sergeant as he took out his green lightsaber, ignited it and used his jetpack to rush towards the nearest marines.

"Now we're talking!" Zuke yelled in excitement as they all charged forward into the fray.

Aero and Mic utilized their own jetpacks to get to the high ground while the others such as Zuke and Misty remained on the ground with Shrap. Kreel on the other hand was already closing in on the marines with Cav in tow.

"Bring it on!" Zuke laughed as he unleashed a torrent of heavy laser fire.

A hail of blaster fire mowed down any UNSC soldier that was out in the open. Blaster bolts burned right through their armor and the service uniforms of other personnel. Zuke held his heavy blaster steady as he forced them all to find cover or risk being shot. The bulky storm trooper unclipped a thermal detonator and hurled it at a group of marines. The small grenade landed right next to them and proceeded to go off killing three marines in the process.

Misty on the other hand opted to remain in the back and snipe any marine foolish enough to show up. He was extremely precise, his shots always scoring hits in lethal places such as the head or heart. The sniper rifle he held in his hands barked again and again as he took down his opponents. His hood moved in the wind when a bullet flew past him a little too close. Misty rolled away, looked down the scope of his rifle and shot the one responsible. He did this in less than five seconds. The unfortunate marine didn't even get a chance to fire another shot.

"Shrap get in there now!" Zuke yelled as he continued to give suppressive fire.

Neither he nor Misty were actually focused on trying to kill the UNSC servicemen like that, they were mostly giving Shrap a chance to get close to them. It was a success since no marine had been able to stop a certain storm trooper to get close to one of the small side rooms.

Multiple marines and other personnel were inside and firing out of the window at the assailant. However, they didn't see Shrap coming at all.

"Calm down Zuke." Shrap said as he sneaked towards the group of marines from behind. "I'm already here."

And with that he raised the nuzzle of his flamethrower and began doing what he loved the most, burning down his victims. The marines didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. A wave of fire was already upon them, the heat scorching their skin. The first marines to get hit began screaming and running around trying to put out the flames. When the others saw the fire they immediately started distancing themselves. Shrap didn't let them go that easily and aimed the flamethrower at them.

Zuke grinned as two marines ran out of the side room with their bodies on fire. He ignored them and advanced towards another group of marines. Once again he threw a grenade, the explosion throwing furniture around along with bodies, and the marines caught in the grenade's radius died. He was having the time of his life but realized he would need some cover as well. By now the lingering feeling of surprise and shock had worn off and the marines were putting up an effective defense. Their cover had been improved, their squads well divided and more reinforcements were joining the defenders.

"Oh great." The trooper muttered as he hid behind a small wall. "Misty, do you have eyes on those gunners?"

"Yeah just give me a moment." Replied the team's sniper.

Zuke peered over his cover but immediately ducked when bullets flew over his head.

"Kriff this." He grumbled and grabbed a more heavy explosive.

He took one more look at where the gunfire was coming from and proceeded to arm the thermal imploder. He calculated where it would land before throwing it with all his might. Seconds passed before an incredibly loud explosion was muffled by his helmet's audio receptors. Zuke took another look and chuckled when he saw the crispy corpses of his victims.

"You know I could have done that as well, just without the grenade, right?" Misty asked dryly over the comm channel.

"This was more fun." Zuke answered jovially and moved on.

Meanwhile on the upper level, Aero fired his dual pistols quickly as another marine came in his line of sight.

"Mic! Any progress?!" He yelled over the gunfire as he guarded the tech specialist.

"I've gained control over many of the station's blast doors but their dumb AI is trying to lock me out." Mic replied while typing away at an access point.

"Well hurry up!" Aero replied irate.

Two marines sprinted forward together while firing at Aero with their assault rifles. The SCAR pilot cursed and dodged by using his jetpack to give him a quick boost. He aimed his pistols at the two and shot at them, hitting one in the leg while the other had a smoking hole in his chest. Aero quickly finished off the downed marine before focusing on the others again.

Unfortunately the marines were too well trained and had better numbers, which made it difficult for Aero to hold out. His personal shields flickered and with loud cussing he crouched behind a table. He was lucky that they had received the new personal shields like the rest of the empire's special forces. After months of research on captured shield generators, the imperial science division had finally made its own version. No longer would they risk radiation or any other risk. From now on they had shields to protect themselves from blasters and projectile weapons.

That didn't mean they were invincible though. A fact that Aero now knew all too well.

"Sarge, we're pinned down on the upper level. Mic needs time and I'm being pushed back by marines. I need backup asap!" The combat pilot said as he talked through the comm channel.

"On my way." Kreel answered and not a minute later he arrived.

The sergeant flew over the balcony with his jetpack and had his rifle already aimed at the surprised marines. The first laser bolts successfully gunned down one of the marines and when the sergeant landed another bit the dust. Kreel dodged incoming fire by rolling away next to a couch. He returned fire before discarding his weapon and igniting his lightsaber.

He jumped over his cover, his new shields taking the brunt of the enemy's attack, before he jumped right between two marines. To their credit they reacted immediately by distancing themselves though Kreel predicted this. He kicked one marine in the gut while slicing the other's arm off. The amputated limb fell on the floor while its previous user cried out in agony. Kreel ignored the cries as he spun around and impaled the other with the green blade.

"Watch out sarge!" Aero warned him and fired at a shotgun wielding marine.

The UNSC soldier never made it to the sergeant as he was hit in the chest and neck by the pilot. Kreel nodded appreciatingly before sprinting towards his next victims.

"We're going to move on soon. Cav is making a path for us. You have two more minutes Mic." Kreel said as he jumped down upon an unsuspecting technician and stabbed the woman through the back.

"Got it sarge." Mic answered as he finished up his work.

Another thing he had gained access to were the security cameras which made it easier to see how the insurrectionists were doing. So far the path to progress was bumpy but they were getting there.

One of the video recordings showed a fight between the UNSC security guards and the insurrectionists who were supported by the imperial battle droids. The NCA soldiers stayed behind cover as they fired upon the defenders while the battle droids took the brunt of the counter attack. Battle droids steadily marched forward while shooting with their blasters, not caring if they get destroyed. Marines would tear the droids apart but that gave the more precise human soldiers of the NCA perfect opportunities to kill those marines. There were still many casualties among the battle droids but they weren't just cannon fodder, their numbers caused a hail of red laser bolts to claim UNSC lives.

There was even one instance that marines got flanked by a few super battle droids. The humans quickly killed some but the B2 models were superior to their B1 counterparts. Their wrist blasters were mercilessly gunning down the marines while their better armor soaked up the damage. In the end the small group of guards couldn't prevail and they all fell to the relentless super battle droids. They walked over the dead bodies of the humans and continued onward, more droids joining them in the progress.

Zuke just killed another foe when Kreel landed next to him, his lightsaber still ignited.

"Everyone form up. We're going after that control room." The imperial sergeant ordered as he leveled his blaster pistol at a marine and pulled the trigger.

"Understood." Cav replied as he silently moved behind a whole squad of marines with his knives ready to literally cut them all down.

"We're done here as well." Aero said as he and Mic gave support from the high ground.

Kreel looked at the UNSC defenders their position and saw that they had gathered just next to the door that would lead them to the control room. The marines had set up two small machine guns that kept SCAR squadron at bay, for now.

"Zuke, knock on their door." Kreel said and pointed in the general direction of the defenders.

Shrap and Misty made way as Zuke stepped forward with his rocket launcher.

"I'll make sure to greet them properly sir." The heavy weapons specialist said with a grin.

"Here we go." Shrap sighed and placed his hands on his helmet where the audio receptors were.

"How much do you want to bet he'll blow a hole big enough for us to get jettisoned into space?" Misty asked as he did the same.

"Ten credits. No way he won't fail to make a hole the size of his ego." The pyro replied dully.

"I bet fifteen." Cav spoke up as he joined them.

Zuke crouched and placed the rocket launcher on his shoulder. He waited for a moment before turning around the corner. Within moments a rocket flew right at the marines leaving a trail of smoke. It impacted right in the middle of their entrenched position before blowing them up spectacularly. The shockwave was strong enough to shake the whole deck.

"I'll be claiming my prize when this is done." Misty said as he walked over to Kreel.

Shrap and Cav shook their heads but followed. Both Mic and Aero descended from their higher position and joined the rest of SCAR squadron. Kreel quickly gave a look to see if there were any hostiles left but he found none just like he expected.

"Let's move SCAR squadron." He commanded as he headed towards the shredded door with his men in tow.

"Hey Mic, how are those insurrectionists doing?" Cav asked as they walked through a corridor with their weapons at the ready.

"They've secured most parts of the station and blocked off the UNSC personnel on the frigate. They left a few squads there along with a lot of droids. Getting through that blockade will be bloody."

"As long as we hold out then we'll succeed in our mission." Misty pointed out. "The fleet is due to arrive any moment now."

"Which means we should hurry and secure that control room." Shrap said.

"Movement on our left." Mic said seriously.

They all tensed and aimed their weapons at the corner. Seconds passed by as they waited for the unknown contacts to appear. Kreel narrowed his eyes but held up a fist.

"Hold your fire. They're friendlies." He said as they had a good view on who it was.

Five insurrectionists walked around the corner accompanied by six commando droids and Temple.

"I thought you were supposed to have secured the control room by now? We've already dealt with the marines in our way." Temple said as he approached Kreel.

He was now completely clad in his pale blue armor and his face was hidden by a pale blue visor as well. He had not a lot of weapons with him, only a tactical magnum pistol.

"You had such an easy time because we had to deal with most of the guards and other personnel." Kreel retorted. "We thought most would be inside the barracks. I guess we were wrong to think so."

"Figures." Temple muttered. "Well how about we secure that control room. We need full access to the space elevator for when your troops arrive in the system."

Kreel nodded in silent contempt. Together they made their way to their objective. Once the space elevator was theirs they would have a straight path for their troops inside the capital.

They would play nice with the insurrectionists for now but when everything was over, the empire would be in full control.

* * *

 **Slipspace**

 **UNSC** _ **Infinity**_

 **Bridge**

"Two minutes until we arrive." Roland announced as he projected himself on the AI pedestal.

Hood nodded solemnly as he watched the crew hurry to make sure they were ready. He himself took in a deep breath and prepared himself for the fight to come.

He had the ships and the ground forces to pull this off. Hundreds of men and women were ready to take the fight to the empire and win. Their resolve was strong, their minds focused and their hearts burning with passion. The UNSC would remain steadfast in the face of so many enemies and still emerge victorious. He himself felt not a single tinge of fear or anxiety. He was calm and collected, ready for the fight.

The plan was simple.

Upon arriving in the system he and the fleet would engage the imperial warships, attack the space station and the shipyards. Reports from the prowler corps explained that the empire had a decent fleet stationed to protect its interests and that there were numerous small defense satellites the size of a Longswords with two turbolasers on them. Normally this would be no issue, two small turbolasers hardly did any damage to even a corvette, yet it would be problematic for their aircraft since there were dozens if not more of them. The key to successfully beating the imperial fleet was to use the element of surprise. They would exit slipspace right next to them and immediately attack them.

When the imperials would finally mobilize the UNSC would already be upon them.

Aside from the main fleet there would be a few smaller ships exiting slipspace right above the imperial worlds. In order to fully utilize the element of surprise they would start dropping troops before the empire could effectively react.

In order to capture the imperial base on the jungle planet, the 1st and 2nd army battalion of the 22nd regiment along with the 87th ODST battalion. The ODSTs would drop using their SOEIVs and neutralize the air defenses on the ground to make way for the dropships. Their objective was an imperial complex consisting out of an airfield, a base and the smaller camps surrounding them. They would also be assisted by two squads of Spartans.

As for the ice planet, the 57th marine regiment along with a Spartan squad would be deployed to search for imperial complexes and destroy them. Recon was a no go without being discovered so they'd need to search in a general area.

Lastly there was the mining planet. In order to stop all the imperial operations they'd need to land troops in case there were labor camps full with captives. They couldn't just destroy it from orbit. That's why they'd also deploy the rest of the 22nd regiment to clear out all hostiles.

However, it all came down to the battle between the two fleets, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Hood. The battle up in space was the key to victory or their doom to fail.

"Exiting slipspace in five, four, three, two, one…"

Hood let out an inaudible sigh as he once more began to lead his forces into battle.

* * *

 **Alright so who is excited for the upcoming fight because I am. I got more spare time and I'm already working on the next chapter. I've also tried to use my new halo warfleet book to make sure I get the ships right and stuff like that. I also got halo glasslands which I'm going to read after I've finished the one I'm reading now.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Epsilon system**

 **Imperial shipyards**

 **Outer defenses**

There was no way the empire could have seen the surprise attack coming. There was no warning, not even from their scanner outpost. It was so sudden that most of the ships didn't even get the chance to face the threat. Every imperial was dumbfounded and shocked that the UNSC had discovered their staging area. One thing was certain; the UNSC meant business.

A whole fleet of UNSC ships exited slipspace, the swirling vortexes signaling their arrival, right under the empire's nose. The most impressive ship to appear was the _Infinity_ with its large size and intimidating sight.

Fleet admiral Hood wasted no time once they exited slipspace. He was already up and ready to give out orders and direct the fleet.

"Ready all MACs and archer missiles. Choose your targets and fire at will." He ordered as he stared firmly at the imperial ships that were trying to form a line of defense.

Most star destroyers were grouped in packs of three to five while many others were docked at the shipyards. The outer defenses were already aiming at them but the small satellites were hardly a threat to even their frigates.

"MACs are ready to fire sir." The weapons officer reported from his station.

"I've coordinated targeting vectors with the other ships." Roland added with crossed arms.

"Fire!" Hood ordered loudly.

The _Infinity_ was the first to fire, all the other ships joining in moments after. Dozens of projectiles shot towards the star destroyers with devastating effect. Most of the imperial ships didn't even have their shields up yet and were gutted as a result. Some hit the shipyards but failed to completely destroy them. The flagship fired once more, dissecting a Victory, before the empire began to form a proper defense.

"Enemy starfighters have been launched."

"Hostile ships are moving to flank us."

"Contact! One of our frigates is being targeted by an ISD."

Hood calmly listened as his mind went over different reactions and plans. Lasky stood at his side, already coordinating and giving orders.

"Admiral, enemy ships are disengaging from their docking bays and headed toward us." Roland reported as the new AI stood on his pedestal. "I'm counting over eighty ships ranging from imperial-class to corvettes. I've also spotted three battlecruisers and two designated carriers."

"Their fighter support will overwhelm ours." Lasky said as he watched the imperials return fire. "Dozens of additional starfighters have been launched from their stations."

"Then we'll stick together and form a barrier of point-defense weaponry. They have numbers but if we coordinate our efforts then we'll block them." Hood said in conclusion. "Keep our Longswords close so they can intercept those bombers."

Hood remained calm and collected as the imperials finally converged together which gave him a better sight of what they were dealing with. The imperial officer in command had formed a line of groups abreast, as if there were lines and layers of ships. There were star destroyers in the middle, the carriers in the back, the frigates on the sides or in the front and corvettes divided all over the place. An impenetrable line of defense which was supported with hundreds of starfighters and dozens of defense satellites. It was clear that if they wanted to break through they'd have to focus a large number of ships on a certain point, which would make them vulnerable to an attack on their flank if the imperials encircled them.

However, Hood wasn't one to just accept that.

"Contact the destroyers and give them permission to commence the wolfpack operations. Roland, give them coordinates to get right behind their carriers." Hood said as he watched the holotank accurately display the two fleets.

Outside in the vacuum of space, the imperials were starting to put the pressure on the UNSC. Even through the surprise attack successfully destroyed many imperial warships, there were still enough left to outnumber the UNSC. All forward turbolaser batteries were firing nonstop and concussion missile launchers were spitting out rockets like there was no tomorrow. The initial shock had impacted the imperials enough for them to throw everything they had at the invaders.

Yet that didn't stop the UNSC from doing the same. Their MACs were pounding away at the star destroyers and cutting through cruisers with ease. Archer missiles were overwhelming the shields and nuclear missiles were draining them of everything they had left.

Waves of TIE fighters were now upon them, their blaster fire hammering away as they descended upon the forward UNSC ships. All point-defense weapons were relentlessly fending off missiles and starfighters as more of them arrived. TIE bombers flew into the fray only to get shot down by the ship-mounted weaponry or the numerous Longsword interceptors.

"I've got one on my tail!"

"I'm getting locked on."

"We're moving in to intercept those bombers."

"Hostiles on our six! Break up!"

"I'm going down!"

"Redtail-five on me."

The pilots all communicated with each other as they expertly flew past ships and wreckage. Some of the TIE bombers got through and began their bombing runs. Proton torpedoes and bombs pierced through hulls, concussion missiles sped towards vulnerable aircraft and ship systems. Some weapon emplacements were destroyed by the bombers and after a good amount of concentrated fire they even disabled the MACs on a few ships. Turrets swiveled around as they unleashed 50mm high-explosive projectiles that tore starfighters apart.

One of the forward frigates suddenly exploded in a ball of fire as its reactor detonated and took down anything that was too close. Its engines were blown away and drifted off until they slammed into another. The imperials on the other hand had lost almost all of their light cruisers and even their frigates were straining to hold the line.

Roland nodded to himself and then faced Hood. "All of our destroyers are ready to move sir."

"Send them in." Hood replied without tearing his gaze away from the viewports.

In the back of the formation, a total of six halberd-class destroyers and two heavy cruisers powered their slipspace drives on for a precise jump. Eight portals appeared in front of them, they went inside and moments later they reappeared just behind the imperial line. There was no doubt that the imperials were surprised by this, as they failed to face the threat immediately. Not that they could considering most of their ships in the back were light cruisers or carriers. It came down to the few Venators to repel the threat.

The heavy cruisers turned around to aim their MAC but they had already launched dozens of missiles just like the destroyers. Hundreds of missiles soared towards the vulnerable carriers in a massive wave. Unfortunately for them the carriers were equipped with dedicated point-defense turrets and still had a few squadrons of starfighters left. The light cruisers also began firing at the missiles to reduce the damage. Many of the missiles detonated prematurely due to the barrage but eventually hit their targets. The larger carriers such as the Secutors shook as their shields took the brunt of the explosions. Lighter carriers on the other hand collapsed under a large amount of archer missiles.

By now the destroyers were already upon their foe, their high speed allowing them to gain the advantage. Their MACs fired simultaneously at the carriers while the heavy cruisers still had to turn around. The weakened shields of the imperial carriers couldn't keep up with the punishment they received and collapsed under the strain. One of the Secutor carriers fell prey to two destroyers and was torn apart. Pieces of grey hull floated away along with the frozen corpses of hundreds of imperial crew members.

One of the star destroyers had decided to react to the smaller destroyers that were harassing the imperials in the back of the formation. Slowly but steadily it moved to face the threat.

The two heavy cruisers were now ready to fire. They fired at the same time and managed to destroy yet another carrier. Dozens of TIE series starfighters now began their assault on the UNSC ships. UNSC point-defense turrets wasted no time to reduce the number of bombers and fighters coming at the heavy cruisers. Some got through and dropped bombs on the warships. Explosions dotted the hulls and some managed to destroy systems such as sensors along with a few weapon emplacements.

The halberd-class destroyers continued to engage the enemy in hit and run tactics as they fired their MACs at vulnerable support ships. One of them was about to fire at an Interdictor when green bolts of energy slammed into its hull. The crew onboard was forced to watch as the full firepower of an imperial-class star destroyer came down on them. Its octuple barbette turbolasers gave their undivided attention to the smaller ship. The shields of the unfortunate destroyer couldn't bear the punishment and broke down, allowing the green laser bolts to tear the ship apart. Within a single minute the Halberd was completely destroyed.

The star destroyer quickly moved on to deal with the rest of the ships as it was joined by the Venators and some light cruisers. Seeing as they overstayed their welcome, the destroyers quickly maneuvered themselves so the imperials' attention would be divided. True enough the star destroyers broke formation as they hunted down the Halberds. The ISD and an escort of three Victories ignored the smaller enemy ships and focused on the heavy cruisers instead.

Lasky watched as another star destroyer went up in flames as the _Infinity_ eviscerated it. They were outnumbered but the supercarrier was shifting the tide.

"Shields are holding up but I'm getting reports that our forward ships are being worn down." Roland spoke up as the AI kept track of their status.

"Bring the heavy cruisers forward to take off some pressure." Hood responded while keeping his gaze fixed on the holotank. "Captain Lasky, it appears that the imperials are starting to advance."

"How should we react sir?" Lasky asked as he too looked at the map.

"I believe it's time for us to do something different." Hood decided. "Begin our pincer attack."

"Understood admiral." Lasky nodded. "You know what to do Roland."

The AI gave a small grin and complied.

All the UNSC warships suddenly banked left or right as the large group split into two. Each group went a different direction as they followed the admiral's orders. The imperials who had been advancing suddenly realized the intent of their foe and tried to effectively retaliate. Now they had to deal with enemies coming from both sides along with smaller ones in the back.

As the two fleets further engaged with each other, the imperial fleet was unaware of the UNSC ships that exited slipspace above the planets that housed their military installations.

* * *

 **Epsilon system**

 **Imperial jungle planet**

 **UNSC** _ **Deliverance**_

Corporal Candice Townsend chewed on her bubblegum as she checked her battle rifle for the third time. Inspecting her equipment was her own way to deal with stress and anxiety before a battle. She looked at her scope and nodded in approval before checking her ammo. Aside from the clip that was already inserted in her weapon she had four more strapped to her chest.

The black ODST armor was scarred and had seen its fair share of battle, but the green stripes that marked her unit were still in pristine condition. She belonged to Bane battalion, her green markings identifying her association with this particular unit.

"Candice, can you pass me my helmet?" Corporal Derek Jennings asked as the man stood to her right with his DMR.

Candice nodded wordlessly and grabbed the ODST helmet before tossing it at the fellow shock trooper. He caught it with ease and nodded his thanks.

She, Jennings, private Horton, private Jackson and sergeant Bowman would soon crawl inside their drop pods to begin the assault on the imperials. Their entire unit would be deployed to destroy the anti-air defenses before the army could be deployed to help them secure the bases. Candice wasn't scared since she had been part of multiple engagements already. The only one who was relatively new to the squad was Horton who had been transferred to their battalion a few weeks ago. The guy performed admirably but had the tendency to ask dumb questions that annoyed the hell out of her.

"Alright everyone, it's almost time." Sergeant Bowman said as he walked inside the room. "Make sure you have enough ammo stored away. We don't know just how fortified this base is."

"Do we know where our objectives are gunny?" Jackson asked as the dark skinned woman held her sniper rifle in her hands.

"We're going to drop near the beach right next to an imperial bunker. Our orders are to infiltrate the bunker and disable its AA guns. We'll be deployed alongside lieutenant Huff and the rest of 2nd platoon." The sergeant replied as he grabbed his own weapon.

"Any reconnaissance that might tell us what we're in for?" Horton asked while picking up his SMG.

"Negative. All we know is that there might be possible turret emplacements. Otherwise it's just the standard storm trooper bunch. If we're lucky we'll even see some chicken walkers." Bowman replied.

"Sounds fun." Horton said dryly as he put his helmet on.

"Make sure you keep those satchel charges." Candice pointed out. "We'll definitely need them."

"I don't think the army guys will have anything left to do once we're done down there." Jennings remarked with a cocky grin.

"Shut your mouth Jennings." Jackson said while smiling slightly. "We'll need all the help we can get if the imps have some of their giant camels."

"They're called AT-ATs." Horton remarked.

Jennings grabbed an ammo mag and threw it at the shock trooper. "Screw you, I don't care what they're called as long as they burn nicely."

Suddenly an alarm began to sound and two lights on the wall flashed yellow. Without delay the ODSTs grabbed their gear and moved towards the pods.

"Get ready for the drop. Just let lady luck take care of you and you'll be fine." Bowman said as he got in his own pod.

"Unless you get hit by AA fire." Jennings muttered as he did the same.

Candice placed her weapon into the rack before crawling inside the seat. The hatch closed as she pressed the switch before the entire pod began to shake. It turned 180 degrees so she faced the wall but then the pod descended. It hadn't been released yet but was still being put into place. Suddenly the pod halted as it waited for the clamps to release it. She saw some of the other drop pods hanging there, waiting for the command to be released.

The shock trooper looked down to see that everything was in order. Two screens activated showing her sergeant and lieutenant Huff.

"Listen up everyone." The lieutenant said as he addressed the platoon. "Today we're going to bring the fight to the empire. We know what our mission is and we're going to do it while looking badass! I want you to remember what's at stake here when we get on the ground. Do that and kill as many imps as you can, if you can manage to do that then I'll buy you all a drink. How do we leave?!"

"We go feet first!" The whole platoon shouted in response.

Just as they did so the frigate's captain announced, "Dropping the pods now. Good luck out there troopers."

Candice watched as SOEIVs were released before shooting down towards the surface below. She braced herself as she heard her own pod being released before it descended. Her body shook as she fell, the tremors racking her entire body. The visor of her helmet adjusted the brightness once the harsh sunlight shined through her pod's glass.

"Damn, can we come back here for a vacation gunny?" Jennings asked over their comms as the planet's surface was revealed to them.

The planet was indeed a tropical paradise. While mostly jungle and water, it did have some nice spots. Obviously the empire thought so as well since their airfield was situated right next to the calm sea and multiple complexes were located close to the beach. There were more buildings deeper inside the jungle but Candice could easily imagine a few storm troopers laying on the beach getting a tan.

"Shut your mouth unless you have something useful to say Jennings." Bowman replied in annoyance.

"Ah well, I tried." The corporal said in mock sorrow.

"We're getting pretty close now." Jackson remarked.

Indeed, they were getting close to the surface now. Most buildings were now more visible and distinct instead of small grey dots. Candice looked to her left and could see a small part of the imperial airfield. It was large and seemed to be protected by a wall as well.

"Enemy AA fire!" Someone shouted over the comms.

The ODSTs instinctively tensed as they waited for the incoming explosions. Only a moment later the drop pods began to shake even more violently as green bolts of energy flew past them. Down below on the ground the imperials all rushed towards their stations. The black armored gunners manned their guns before unleashing a torrent of blaster fire upon the incoming drop pods. Dozens of laser turrets were blasting away at the objects in the sky.

Candice could only watch as some of the pods were hit by the green energy bots. Those pods simply burst apart in flames with the men and women inside completely disintegrated.

"Adjust course to evade incoming fire!" Bowman shouted.

Not that it did that much good, there simply too many emerald lights headed their way. After antagonizing moments of dodging hostile fire and praying for protection, the pods were about to land. Candice braced herself for the impact as the pod neared the earth.

She cursed as the drop pod finally crashed into the ground. The pod shook hard as it burrowed slightly into the ground. Her instincts took over as she quickly opened the hatch, the metal door flying a few meters away due to the explosive bolts. Without delay she had her weapon in her hand and jumped onto the ground.

Or rather the sand.

"Shit." She cursed as she realized her drop pod had been thrown off course. "Can anyone hear me? Sergeant Bowman? Guys?"

The ODST looked around to get a good idea of her surroundings. Mostly sand but there were some small cliffs and rocks that dotted the beach. It would take a few minutes to get to the dunes. There was some static over the comms but they still worked fine. She could hear her friends and once she took a good look she realized they were closer than she thought.

"I hear you Townsend. Me and Horton are here. Jennings and Jackson landed some distance away next to the imperial bunker." The sergeant replied as she saw two figures in the distance coming her way. "Don't shoot, we're almost there."

A minute later and the sergeant arrived with Horton in tow. He nodded to himself as he saw everything was alright with his ODST.

"What's the plan sarge?" Horton asked as they stood between the rocky cliffs of the beach.

"Same as before. We head towards that bunker and take it. We'll find some of our fellow helljumpers on the way." The veteran said determined to get there as he hefted his weapon. "Let's move out."

The three ODSTs navigated the cliffs as they followed he marker on their HUDs. They had to climb over a few but they kept their eyes open for any storm troopers that might have decided to investigate their pods. Horton went first with his SMG followed by sergeant Bowman and then her. Her boots sank away in the sand as she kept going, her eyes still fixed on her surroundings.

"Townsend, try to get in contact with the rest of the platoon." Bowman said as they passed a few rocks.

Candice nodded and quickly went to work with her long range radio. The antenna of the radio stuck out on her back as she began contacting the rest of their platoon.

"This is Charlie-2 from second platoon, can anyone hear me?" She asked as she pressed a finger on the comm of her helmet. "I repeat, this is Charlie-2 from second platoon. Can anyone hear me?"

"Roger that Charlie-2. This is Alpha-3, we read you loud and clear. What is your current position?" A male voice replied over the comms.

"We're currently on the beach and one klick away from the imperial bunker. Two others from our squad are already onsite but hiding." Candice answered.

"Understood. Alpha is on its way to assist. We'll meet each other on the end of the beach. Be advised, multiple enemy squads have been spotted searching for us."

"Copy that Alpha-3. We'll see you soon." Candice said before ending the call. "Sergeant, Alpha squad will link up with us at the end of the beach. They said that the imperials have search parties looking for us."

"Let's pick up the pace then. Keep us covered." Bowman ordered as he began jogging forward.

The three helljumpers began sprinting as they ran towards the dunes where they would meet the other ODSTs of their platoon. The empty beach that held no rocks exposed them too much. With that in mind they ran as fast as they could to prevent the enemy of spotting them. Horton made sure to sweep the area in front of them while Candice covered their rear.

Up ahead they could hear battles raging on in the distance. By now the imperials should have properly mobilized their forces to deal with the UNSC shock troopers, especially if they were sending out search parties to find the helljumpers.

Candice could hear the explosions and saw the smoke along the tree line. The sound of blasters were very distinct and easily recognized so it was safe to assume that the rest of the platoon that had made it to the surface was fighting the imperials. There was also the distinct sound of machine guns returning fire, the cracking noise of a sniper rifle echoing over the battlefield. A fire raged on to their left in the distance as well that was burning fiercely.

"Contacts up ahead." Horton announced as they crawled over a small sand dune. "I count six in total."

Multiple storm troopers were sweeping the area, their white armor slightly dirty due to the sand. Candice saw all six of them as they walked in a tight group but with enough space left so they wouldn't all die with one grenade.

"Candice use your rifle to pick off the ones in the back. Horton and I will take out the ones in the front." Their sergeant whispered to them.

Candice nodded and aimed her battle rifle. The storm troopers still hadn't noticed them but that would change soon. She looked through her rifle's scope as she had her barrel lined up with a trooper's armored head.

"Engage!" Bowman ordered.

The ODST pulled the trigger, a three-round burst left the rifle, and she watched as the trooper's helmet was punctured by the first bullet while the others carved a path through the man's skull. A geyser of blood erupted out of the back of the helmet as the body dropped dead. The trooper's corpse fell onto the sand that was now colored a dark red.

Candice quickly aimed at the other trooper who had raised his rifle and was firing at their group. A blaster bolt whizzed past her head as he returned fire. The first burst was a miss but the second hit him right in the chest. Even with the upgraded issue of the storm trooper armor that gave the wearer more resistance to projectiles, it couldn't stop a three-round burst from a battle rifle. Cracks formed around the point of entry as the white chest plate splintered. The trooper was as good as dead.

Bowman raised his own rifle and eviscerated the other storm troopers along with Horton who wielded his silenced SMG. The imperials never stood a chance against the special operations unit that had surprise on their side.

"Check for survivors." Bowman said as he walked over to a corpse and placed a bullet in the trooper's helmet.

Horton and Candice did the same before they walked past the bloody corpses.

"More imperials up ahead sarge." Horton said as he used his binocular system to scout ahead. "They're attacking Alpha's position."

"Let's move up and lend them a hand then." Bowman replied as he put a new clip in his assault rifle.

The three ODSTs of Charlie squad quickly jogged towards the next dune where the firefight between Alpha squad and the imperials. Just like before it was a search party but this time there were in total twelve storm troopers, five were lying in the sand with blood seeping out of their wounds while the surviving seven were forcing what was left of Alpha to hide.

Horton was the first one to arrive right behind the imperials. He raised his SMG and immediately opened fire. Before they even knew what was going on, two troopers had been killed while another one died warning the rest. A trooper turned around and managed to hit Horton but the ODST armor shrugged off the blaster bolt, only a black scorch mark showing he got hit. Horton shifted his aim towards the offending trooper and pulled the trigger. Blood coated the trooper's white armor as she died.

"Friendlies inbound!" An ODST of Alpha yelled.

This encouraged the helljumpers that were taking cover to stand up and help clearing out the imperials. Caught between two groups of highly trained and well-equipped ODSTs, the storm troopers tried putting up a decent fight but their efforts were in vain. Not a minute later they were killed off.

"Clear!" An ODST announced as they secured the area.

An ODST with a deer's skull on his left shoulder plate stepped forward to meet the newcomers. His tag read as corporal Filip Sanchez on their HUDs.

"Alpha squad reporting for duty sir." The corporal greeted as he stopped in front of Bowman. "We lost our sergeant during our landing. Damned imps got him with their AA fire. We were moving towards the bunker when we heard your transmission. Those storm troopers intercepted us but we lost no one."

"Good job son. We'll head towards the bunker together and see if anyone else has made it there." Bowman told the ODST.

"Understood sir. Alpha squad, we're Oscar mike!" Sanchez said and waved at the rest of Alpha squad.

Four other ODSTs walked towards them before the whole group marched towards the imperial bunker up ahead.

The trip was rather calm instead of violent. No other storm troopers were roaming the beaches nor any other sign of imperial search parties. Instead it was silent except for the thunderous explosions in the distance or the gunfire.

"Where is the rest of your squad?" An ODST from Alpha asked Candice in curiosity.

"They landed near the bunker and are holing up there. they haven't contacted us ever since." The comm specialist replied.

"Damn imperials scattered the platoon with all that anti-air." Another ODST commented. "We briefly had contact with a few other squads. They told us they'd lost some of their members, some died during the drop while others were thrown off course."

"Judging by the gunfire and explosions I'd say that the imps only made us mad." Horton remarked as he nodded at the smoke on the horizon.

"Can it ladies!" Bowman said harshly. "We're getting near that bunker. Check your weapons before we head into the fray."

"Yes sir." The shock troopers replied as they checked their weapons.

The small group of soldiers traversed the rest of the dunes until they finally reached their destination; the imperial AA bunker. They all huddled together behind some foliage as they spied on their target.

It was a complex made out of the usual imperial architecture. It was shaped like a square atop a small hill with only one entrance. There were six large laser turrets placed on the roof of the building and there was a small spire placed in the middle with numerous satellite dishes. Around the bunker was an eighteen feet tall wall along with four large watchtowers. Unlike the main building itself, this wall had only one entrance. A quick recon told them that there were more smaller AA turrets around the bunker but those on the roof were much bigger and much more dangerous.

"Jackson and Jennings, do you read?" Bowman asked over the radio.

"Loud and clear sarge." Jackson replied. "Me and Jennings did some scouting while you were busy finding us."

"How strong are their defenses?" The sergeant inquired as he peeked over their cover.

"The imps closed the gate a few minutes ago and they've placed guards on the walls. Those watchtowers have turrets while there are two AT-DPs inside the courtyard. We counted at least thirty storm troopers patrolling the courtyard." Jackson answered as she looked through her sniper rifle's scope.

"Any others of the platoon that made it here?"

"Delta and Echo are standing by. They should be close to your position."

"What's the plan sarge?" Jennings asked.

"We need them to open that gate. A distraction should do the trick." Bowman proposed while taking a look at the thick metal door of the compound.

"Gunnery sergeant Bowman, this is sergeant Donnelly." A man spoke over the comms. "Me and my boys have some mortars. How about we lure them away with those?"

"Be my guest Donnelly. We'll stand ready to attack from the front." Bowman replied and added, "Echo squad, use grappling hooks to attack them from behind. Jennings and Jackson, you will both give us long-range support."

"Affirmative." Echo's squad leader spoke up.

"Got it sarge." Jennings replied.

They all waited in silence for the mortar team to finish setting up. Not a single storm trooper had spotted their troops so they still had the element of surprise. The ODSTs grabbed their weapons and held them close as they readied themselves to assault the bunker.

"Delta squad ready to shell the enemy."

"Echo squad ready for breaching maneuver."

"Alright boys, start bombarding them." Bowman ordered.

Only seconds later the mortars fired, their shells going straight up in the air before descending down upon the startled imperials. The courtyard suddenly shook as explosives rocked the ground. All of the imperials immediately dove for cover but some got caught up in the detonations. Bodies were shredded and others lost limbs while dirt and dust coated the floor. Another volley was launched and this time one of the walls got hit by a shell. The troopers stationed on it were flung aside by the sheer force while a gap formed in the wall's ramp.

Jackson took this as her chance to open fire on any trooper that was visible. Her position on a dune gave her a clear vantage point to have a good look of the bunker's courtyard. She pulled the trigger once a trooper got in her sight. The first troopers were caught unaware by this and went down quickly, their helmets shattered as blood poured out. However they realized someone was sniping their forces but there were no long-range specialists in their unit.

"Get that gate open and find them!" An officer shouted at his men in anger and fear.

The large metal gate rumbled before it slid open for the storm troopers. The white armored men and women that stepped out of the base didn't get far as a hail of bullets skewered them. Bowman's ODSTs ran out of the bushes with their rifles barking while a heavy gunner provided covering fire.

"On our left!" Candice yelled as she spotted a duo of storm troopers crouch and raise their blasters.

The helljumper aimed before firing a few bursts at the troopers. They went down quickly and only got to shoot once. Their weapons fell on the ground as did the corpses.

"More of them up ahead!"

The storm troopers rallied around the officers and took cover behind metal barricades as they concentrated fire on the ODSTs. Candice heard someone at her side cry out and saw that a fellow ODST had been hit in the leg. The blaster bolt had pierced through the armor plating and inflicted a nasty wound.

"Cover me!" A medic from Alpha yelled as he ran towards his downed comrade.

Candice put her back against the wall and tried to force the imperials back into cover. It worked partially and gave the medic a chance to drag the wounded away. She heard the familiar sound of an empty clip before her weapon stopped firing. With a silent curse she refrained from reloading and ran for a metal barricade where Horton was sitting.

She crouched on one knee behind cover as she pulled out a fresh clip from her pockets.

"You good Candice?" Horton asked while taking potshots.

"Never been better." Was her dry reply.

"Heads up. Walkers are making their approach." Someone announced on the comms.

Two tall AT-DPs marched behind the bunker as they closed in on the attackers. Their heavy laser cannons whined as energy bolts left the ball cannons. While lacking many weapons, the lone cannon itself was powerful enough to punch through medium vehicle plating. The metal barricades that provided cover could hardly stand firm against such firepower nor did they provide enough cover considering the height of the bipedal walkers.

"Someone grab a rocket launcher and get those things!" Bowman yelled while shooting a trooper in the chest.

"Tucker, up to the front mate." An Alpha squad ODST told his partner.

"Just make sure I don't get blasted." The man grumbled but nevertheless grabbed the rocket launcher on his back.

An AT-DP neared their position and managed to score a hit on the helljumpers. Sanchez cried out in pain as he was thrown away violently. He crashed hard into the metal plating that was the floor and felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Candice saw him lying on the floor, out in the open, and made her move. She dodged blaster fire as she ran towards the dazed ODST while being fired upon. Luckily Horton saw her moving and provided cover by making himself a big target. Candice ducked to dodge an energy bolt before grabbing Sanchez by the back of his armor and dragging him to safety.

The closest AT-DP spotted her as she rescued her comrade and turned its heavy blaster cannon towards the UNSC soldiers. Just before it could fire, a rocket slammed into its leg joint causing the metal limb to shatter. The AT-DP stumbled a bit before it leaned forward and fell over. A whole squad of storm troopers had to flee unless they wanted to get crushed.

"Yeah! Take that you damned imps." Tucker cheered as the ODST put down his rocket launcher.

"Look. Echo is finally here." Horton spoke up and pointed at the ODST squad that ran towards them.

The newcomers immediately fired at the imperials and with only their initial attack they killed more than five troopers. Realizing that they were being flanked, the last walker turned around before going after Echo squad. Even some storm troopers seized their attack on the helljumpers in the front so they could fend off the ones in the back.

"We've got them pinned down. Everyone! This is our chance, move forward and eliminate them all." Bowman ordered.

Horton and Candice left Alpha's medic with Sanchez before they both followed their sergeant. The three of them attacked from the right while the others from Alpha took the left. Forced to deal with UNSC shock troopers in their backs and on two sides in the front proved too much for the imperials to handle. They got some good shots but failed to kill anyone, only wound them which could be patched up for now with biofoam.

The last AT-DP also went down soon enough as another rocket slammed into the back of the cockpit. The armor there was the weakest and was demolished by the heavy weapons specialist from Alpha squad. Flames burst out of the metal body of the walker as it exploded. Shards of metal flew in the air and almost cut others. However, it had successfully killed an ODST from Echo squad but he did not go unavenged.

"Retreat! Retreat!" An imperial officer yelled as he waved his pistol at the open bunker door.

The remaining storm troopers wasted no time in falling back to the compound. They all ran inside before the door closed and the lock was engaged. The ODSTs pursued but made sure to check the area for any stragglers.

Candice walked past a groaning storm trooper as she aimed her rifle and put three bullets in his head. Horton walked at her side while checking the corpses as well.

"Alright everyone, Delta squad will come here and hold the courtyard alongside Alpha while we secure that bunker." Bowman said to everyone. "Jackson and Jennings, you two will remain where you are and keep us posted for enemy reinforcements. I expect them shortly."

"Understood sarge." Jackson replied.

"Townsend and Horton on me. Echo squad, place some charges on that door." The sergeant ordered and pointed at the sealed entrance.

Two members of Echo jogged towards the door and began placing the explosives on it. Once finished they walked back to their squad.

"Breaching in three, two, one."

The door was torn off its hinges as the bombs detonated, its twisted and burnt remains no longer blocking their path.

"Grenades out."

Two grenades were hurled inside and if the screams were any indication then they'd fulfilled their purpose. Horton and Bowman were the first to enter followed by Echo squad and Candice.

Candice raised her rifle and fired at the storm troopers in the back of the room. Their defenses were hastily set up and didn't provide enough cover. She finished off a trooper before hitting an officer in the chest. His armored vest didn't stop the burst which eviscerated his organs and ribcage. The officer was down before he could even realize it.

An ODST from Echo squad jogged forward wielding a shotgun and quickly dispatched the nearest hostiles. The storm troopers screamed in pain as they were driven back or murdered by the relentless helljumpers. Horton placed the stock of his SMG against his shoulder before gunning down any troopers that made a run for it. Within only one minute the entire room was cleared of imperials. Blood flowed on the floor and painted the walls red while only one ODST had been truly hurt.

"Move forward. Don't give the bastards any rest." Bowman said as he encouraged the soldiers to press on.

Candice walked forward alongside Horton towards the end of the hall where a pair of stairs were. Horton took a peek down the staircase but quickly backed up when a blaster bolt flew past his head. He unclipped a grenade and armed it before throwing it down the stairs. They could hear the startled cries of a trooper downstairs but those were cut short by the explosion that soon followed.

"Ladies first." Candice said and pushed Horton forward.

"Yeah, yeah." The helljumper grumbled as he stepped down the stairs.

Once they got down there they came under fire by even more troopers along with a few technicians. Candice wasted no time to open fire as did Horton. Bowman soon followed with the others as they took cover behind various metal plating and terminals.

Two imperial combat engineers crawled behind the imperial line of defense before they set up their small anti-infantry turrets. The two turrets powered up which was visible as a small red light appeared on each turret. Three legs stabilized each turret as they unleashed a hail of energy bolts upon the ODSTs. To make matters worse an imperial shock trooper was present. The red armored trooper had his own heavy weapon that pinned down the helljumpers.

"Watch out for those turrets." Candice warned the rest as they were barraged with red energy bolts.

"Damn it. I hate it when they deploy those things." Horton remarked as he jammed a fresh clip into his SMG.

One of the storm troopers stopped firing his blaster and reached for his back. He pulled out a thermal detonator, armed it and threw it at the ODSTs. The spherical explosive rolled past a barricade right next to an ODST from Echo squad. It started beeping louder and faster but the Helljumper hadn't noticed it yet.

"Grenade! Watch out!" Candice yelled as she spotted the explosive.

The helljumper immediately moved but the thermal detonator just went off. The resulting explosion burned through the man's armor and threw him away like a ragdoll. His scorched and burned body slammed into a metal support beam before going limp.

"Shit." Horton cursed as he saw the unmoving body.

"Take this you bastards!" Someone from Echo roared as he hefted his SAW.

The troopers began to target the enraged soldier but the torrent of bullets that left the powerful weapon already cut down three of the imperials. One of the engineers tried shooting at him with a blaster pistol but got his helmet and the face underneath torn apart. A blaster bolt hit the ODST in the chest but whether through dumb luck or sheer willpower he remained standing. A rage had filled the man's senses and could only be satisfied with blood.

"Take cover Connor, now!" Another ODST from Echo squad yelled at his comrade.

However, the man was seemingly lost in his quest for revenge. Another blaster bolt hit his left leg but aside from a grunt of pain he kept shooting. He walked forward while yelling as he turned the storm troopers into swiss cheese with his SAW. Candice couldn't pull him out of the line of fire but supported him by aiming at the turrets. She fired a few bursts that effectively eliminated one of the turrets. Horton unclipped his final grenade and threw it at the other.

With both turrets down they were now under less pressure and could properly take down the few remaining imperials. The heavy gunner of Echo dropped his empty SAW and unsheathed his combat knife before charging the imperials. A storm trooper was just about to look over his cover when a hand grabbed his chest plate and pulled him over his cover. His hidden eyes stared fearfully at the ODST helmet that hovered above him before a knife was stabbed in his torso. The sharp blade pierced through an unprotected layer and cut through his flesh. Still enraged by the loss of his friend, the helljumper stabbed the trooper four more times before tossing away the body.

Horton moved forward as he gave suppressive fire but out of the corner of his eye he saw the imperial shock trooper stop firing at Bowman and aim the heavy blaster at the berserk ODST. His eyes widened in shock and alarm as he tried to warn his fellow ODST.

But he was too late.

A hail of blaster bolts left the weapon of the shock trooper and hit the ODST in the chest. He cried out in anger and pain as bolt after bolt slammed into his torso, a few hitting his limbs as well. The shock trooper was merciless and kept on firing until the helljumper's body was completely covered in scorch marks.

Candice raised her rifle and shot the shock trooper in the head. Blood was splattered on the durasteel wall as the trooper died instantly.

Bowman sighed as the last storm trooper was killed and the room fell silent. Two ODSTs had perished, one by a grenade and one by his lust for vengeance.

"Damn it Connor." Echo squad's medic whispered, his voice just barely audible. "I knew you loved him but still… I hope you two will find each other on the other side."

And with that the medic left the two bodies alone after he placed their hands on each other out of respect.

"Were they close?" Horton asked quietly.

"More than you realize." The medic replied sullenly.

"Alright people, I know we lost good men." Bowman said as he gained everyone's attention. "But it isn't over. Let's shut these guns up so our army friends can come help us kill every last damned imperial on this planet."

"Oorah." Was the general reply of the helljumpers.

The helljumpers spread out as they investigated the control room. One of the numerous terminals must be able to deactivate the anti-air turrets but it was hard to tell which one. Horton walked over to a central terminal and pushed the dead body of an officer away. The screen showed some images of the turrets but any words on it were in the imperials' language that he himself couldn't decipher.

"Hey Candice, take a look at this." He called out to his squad mate.

Candice walked over to him at the terminal and gazed at the screen. Most words were unknown to her but she recognized some of them.

"Hang on, just give me a second." She mumbled as she placed her rifle on the top of the machine before typing away.

Barely a minute later the screen flashed red before the turrets above the bunker powered down. The automated defenses that were linked to the central computer shut down as well. Now only smaller turrets remained that had to be manned by actual people.

"Good work soldier." Bowman praised. "Now get me a link to the lieutenant."

"Yes sir." Candice replied and did as told.

"Lieutenant Huff, this is sergeant Bowman. Do you copy?"

"I hear you loud and clear sergeant. Go ahead."

"We've secured the imperial anti-air bunker and all turrets have been deactivated. We've suffered mild casualties in the process." Bowman reported solemnly and glanced at the two dead ODSTs in the room.

"Well done sergeant. We've secured the landing areas on our end." The lieutenant replied. "I'll notify the ship in orbit immediately. Keep that bunker occupied and defend it at all costs. Imperial reinforcements are most likely on their way."

"Roger that sir. We'll hold our ground."

"Good luck trooper. Huff out." The lieutenant said before ending the transmission.

Bowman turned around to address everyone and said, "Pelicans are inbound to deliver our reinforcements. For now we'll keep this bunker out of enemy hands. Let's show them what we're made of. If they want this bunker then they'd better prepare to sacrifice a lot of their white armored bastards."

* * *

 **Epsilon system**

 **Imperial jungle planet**

 **Pelican 129**

After the command had been given to deploy the cavalry, the ship's captain had wasted no time in sending the Pelicans that were full with army rangers. The troop bays were loaded with rangers while most of the Pelicans also transported Warthogs, Mongooses and even Scorpions. All of these dropships flew through the atmosphere of the planet as they made their way towards the beach down below that had been secured.

Captain Bradford sat in his seat as the Pelican made its way through the clouds while he listened to the banter of the other rangers. He looked to the left and saw his second-in-command, lieutenant Mitaka, talking with one of the ranger heavy gunners. Bradford himself never really was much of a talker before combat, he preferred staying quiet and calm to ease the nerves. He was a veteran who saw ten years of war but still felt like that same old rookie before he entered the battlefield. The burden of command didn't make things easier either so moments like these were cherished whenever he could.

"We're almost at the LZ. ETA T-minus three minutes." The pilot announced over the Pelican's PA system.

The Pelican slowly steered to the left to adjust its course. All around it flew the other Pelicans while a few Broadswords that were escorting the dropships to their destination.

Inside the cockpit of the Pelican, the electronics operator heard a beeping noise coming from the dropship's radar. He frowned and looked down at it. The screen had green dots on it that signified those as allies but one by one new dots appeared, these were a bright red.

"Hang on, I'm detecting hostile aircraft coming from eleven o'clock." The copilot warned.

Not a few moments later a whole group of TIE strikers came into view. It stood out from the standard TIE fighter due to its horizontal high-speed wings and the large central pod where the pilot sat. It hadn't been seen that much in the engagements with the imperials but one thing was clear to the UNSC pilots; this TIE was faster and meaner than its standard counterpart.

"Shit." The pilot cursed. "Everyone hang on, this is going to get dicey."

"I though the helljumpers were supposed to take the airfield and prevent this from happening?" The copilot asked frantically while turning on the Pelican's chain gun.

"How am I supposed to know?!" His friend retorted. "I guess they came from somewhere else. Just get that gun ready."

"What's going over there?" Bradford yelled loud enough to be heard.

"Imperial aircraft are headed our way. Make sure you're strapped in." Was the reply from the pilots.

"All units be advised there are hostile starfighters coming our way. Broadswords up front. Protect the Pelicans at all costs." The flight leader ordered over the comms.

Back in the Pelican's troop bay the army rangers were mentally preparing themselves for what was about to come. Bradford groaned to himself as the peace and quiet was going to be cut short before they even made landfall.

"Hey captain, do you want me to pray for our survival?" Corporal Hitchcock asked from his seat on the other side of the troop bay.

"I'm an atheist Hitchcock." Bradford replied dryly but still felt the nerves. "But sure, go ahead. Maybe it'll even work and prevent me from emptying my stomach."

"With all due respect sir, that's pretty gross." Mitaka commented with a disgusted expression.

"Give the captain a break." Private Oman spoke up. "These pilots are crazy. Who knows what stunt they're going to pull off."

"We can hear you!" An annoyed voice yelled from the cockpit.

One thing that also annoyed Bradford slightly was that their Pelican wasn't one of the newer models. It was still the previous version in which the cockpit was accessible through the troop bay. For him it was no big issue, the Pelican had always proven its worth, but it was still a bit annoying that they didn't have the newest model.

"Oops." Oman said with a small smirk that showed he wasn't sorry at all.

"In all seriousness, just stay calm and let the flyboys handle this. Once we land on the ground it will be our turn to do some grunt work. If the imps are sending starfighters to intercept us then they'll probably send ground troops as well." Bradford said while gripping his restraints a bit tighter.

"Nervous, sir?" Mitaka quipped with a small grin.

"You know what lieutenant? Sincerely up you-"

"Incoming!" The pilot yelled as the TIE strikers came into range.

The Broadsword pilots immediately opened fire with their missiles that sped towards the targets. TIE strikers tried evading them but many were clean hits and destroyed a hefty amount of TIEs. However that did not stop the TIE strikers from returning the favor. The lasers cannons of the TIE atmospheric fighters barraged the UNSC aircraft and struck some of the Broadswords plus a Pelican or two.

Both sides collided with each other forcing the fighter pilots to go after the enemy while the Pelicans remained on course. The Broadswords did all they could to keep the TIE strikers away from the dropships but unfortunately some slipped past them. A trio of TIE strikers formed up behind the Pelicans before blasting the nearest Pelican. The dropship burst into flames as the green energy bolts went through the armor and ignited everything within. It lost speed and altitude while more flames erupted out of the craft.

"We've got three bogies on the transports' tails. Move in to eliminate." A broadsword pilot ordered while flying towards the TIEs.

The pilot was joined by another as they let their guns do the talking. A TIE striker got its left wing torn apart before descending rapidly while another had its large cockpit destroyed. Both TIE strikers went down in flames but the surviving one managed to hit a Pelican's thruster wing. Smoke came out of the damaged wing while the fire spread. Only moments later something important got damaged before the thruster violently exploded.

The passengers of the Pelican screamed as the Pelican spiraled out of control. It flew wildly before the fuel ignited and the whole aircraft blew up, causing the deaths of both pilots and the army rangers inside.

"They're making another pass!" Pelican 129's pilot warned.

"I'm on it." His friend replied while aiming the gun in the front of the Pelican.

A TIE striker got in their sight before the gun came to life. High caliber rounds traced the TIE and managed to pierce its back. The rounds even hit the proton bombs in the back which led to a bright explosion that consumed the TIE striker.

"Alright! Nicely done." The pilot praised.

In the meantime a whole squadron of TIE strikers flew overhead the Pelicans while the other TIEs and the Broadswords fought it out. They flew in a V-formation and waited for the right moment to strike which came soon as the Pelicans neared the LZ. Just as the Pelicans started to descent, the squadron dove sharply towards the Pelicans. They spread out slightly before firing their laser cannons.

"Shit! Enemies coming from above. Evade! Eva-"

Whoever was crying out the warning was silenced as green blaster bolts punched straight through his Pelican's windshield. The entire cockpit was ripped apart which sent the dropship tumbling towards the ground.

More Pelicans were taken out of commission by the surprise attack that claimed over dozen lives. The TIE strikers no longer went unnoticed by the Broadswords that quickly turned upwards to face the threat. With surprising skill the TIE pilots dodged most of the bullets that came their way but the UNSC missiles were a different story. Three TIEs were blown to bits by them but the others managed to survive the onslaught long enough to take down two more Pelicans. A Scorpion that was attached to one of the two got loose and fell down towards the ocean beneath them.

Bradford clenched his hands and grinded his teeth together as the transport rumbled due to the explosions outside. A drop of sweat dripped off his brow as the Pelican performed another evasive maneuver.

"If we get out alive I'll kiss that pilot before punching him." Mitaka spoke up as she too felt anxious.

"Amen." Bradford replied with a sigh.

The Pelicans remained in formation as they flew towards the LZ with less blaster fire headed their way now. Thankfully most of the TIE strikers had been destroyed and the surviving TIEs were now battling the Broadswords for air superiority. The TIE strikers most certainly proved more of a challenge than the standard TIE. Their incredible speed wasn't helping the UNSC pilots either.

"LZ in sight. Prepare for landing." Bradford's pilot announced as the dropship neared the beach.

"You hear that? Lock and load people, we've got a jungle to conquer!" Bradford managed to say with at least some enthusiasm.

"Yes sir!" Came the reply of the army rangers.

Bradford grabbed his assault rifle and held it close as he awaited the landing.

Over a dozen Pelicans descended towards the beach, almost half of their original numbers. The pilots were the first to see the devastation of the land that was created by the skirmishes of the imperials and ODSTs. Fire and smoke could be seen in the jungle up ahead and along the shoreline. There were even some wrecks of destroyed walkers and more than one gun emplacements or watch tower.

There wasn't even anti-air fire headed their way which demonstrated the effectiveness of the ODST platoon down below. Not a single one of the large AA guns were firing a shot. Aside from the TIE strikers that were still flying around they had encountered little to no resistance.

"Touchdown in twenty seconds."

The Pelican slowed down considerably as it neared the sandy terrain. Every dropships descended slowly and slowed down to the point they were slightly hovering above the ground. They had finally landed on the planet's surface.

"Alright men move it!" Bradford ordered the army rangers as the hatch lowered revealing a bright ocean.

"Go, go, go." Mitaka added to get the soldiers moving.

Everyone grabbed their weapons and got up before jogging down the ramp. Bradford followed them and felt the sand crunch beneath his booths as he stepped out of the dropship.

Other army rangers were exiting their Pelicans and the vehicles were offloaded as well. The Warthogs and Scorpions that survived the trip were released from the both the magnetic and physical clamps of the dropships which allowed the drivers to get inside their vehicles. Their engines revved up as the jeeps and tanks started shaking from the activity.

"Squad, form up!"

"Start unloading those ammo crates."

"Get me in touch with the ODSTs."

"Drive that tank away from the Pelican."

"On the double men. We have a battle to win."

The officers were quick to give out orders while the soldiers were precise and efficient in their tasks. Everything proceeded smoothly and within a matter of minutes the Pelicans would be able to depart.

Bradford walked towards a private with a radio on his back while Mitaka organized the rest of the men. He got the attention of the man by waving his hand to which the radio specialist quickly responded.

"Captain, I have a sergeant Bowman on the line. It's urgent sir." The specialist said with a grim expression.

Bradford nodded and grabbed the mic. "This is captain Bradford of 2nd army battalion. What's the problem sergeant?"

"We're in big trouble over here sir!" The ODST reported while speaking loudly as gunfire could be heard over the comms. "The imperials have sent reinforcements from their bases in the jungle and are hell-bent on pushing us into the ocean. My scouts have reported a large force advancing towards us. They sent a small group of soldiers to test our defenses but we spotted infantry and walkers headed towards the beach. Me and my men are occupying one of their bunkers and are preventing the imperials from getting past us but they outnumber us by a large margin. That and they've brought goddamn walkers. "

"How many sergeant?" Bradford asked with a serious and grim tone.

"Certainly more than a platoon sir. We have no confirmation on how many different tanks they have nor if they have any sort of artillery." Bowman replied.

"Understood sergeant. Send us your coordinates and we'll link up with your ODSTs. Stay alive and wait for reinforcements. Do not let those imperials retake that bunker." Bradford ordered sternly.

"Yes sir!" Bowman responded with vigor before ending the conversation.

"Lieutenant Mitaka!" Bradford yelled to get the attention of his second-in-command who quickly arrived at his side. "Set up positions on those dunes now. An imperial counter attack is headed our way. We need to-"

"Incoming! Get down!"

Bradford and Mitaka instinctively fell on their bellies when the warning reached their ears. Only a few seconds later a TIE striker flew overhead with its laser cannons firing nonstop. Green energy bolts impacted against the sand before hitting a defenseless Pelican that shortly erupted in flames. When it flew right over them it dropped its proton bomb cargo. Explosions erupted from the sand as soldiers were thrown away by the shockwaves and even a Scorpion tank was destroyed in the process.

The TIE striker flew away but didn't get far as a Broadsword fighter shot the imperial aircraft down.

"Damn it." Mitaka cursed before barking orders. "Everyone move! Get to those dunes and prepare for a counter attack."

"Sir, we got a live feed from one of our drones in the air." The comm specialist spoke up and showed a TACPAD.

"Give me that." Bradford said and held the device in his palms.

Bradford grimly watched the screen as the drones above them captured footage of the imperial forces that were coming closer each second.

He spotted the white dots beneath the foliage that were without a single doubt storm troopers from various origins. He couldn't see any specialized soldier like a jump trooper for example but they might be somewhere else among the large convoy of imperial troopers. Moving through those bushes and past the trees were various walkers ranging from the standard AT-ST to even the devastating AT-MP. They were distributed all over the imperial assault force but what really unnerved him were the three colossal AT-ATs. Or wait no, these weren't the standard variant. Bradford faintly remembered being informed once about the cargo variant, the AT-ACT. A small feeling of relief filled him as he realized that they would be facing a less armored and weaponized camel walker. It would still be a pain to deal with but at least not as devastating as its AT-AT counterpart. Beside the walkers he could see some combat tanks as well. Most of their armored units were coming through the two large roads while the walkers maneuvered the dense jungle.

"That's a lot of tanks." Mitaka remarked sourly at his side.

"But we still have a good chance." Bradford retorted as he steeled his resolve. "The ODSTs were charged with taking those roads. They'll have established small defenses and traps to slow those imperials down. All we need to do is push forward so we can help them while taking out any bastards that come through all that green."

"If we get our tanks on that small ridge here then they'll have an excellent vantage point." Mitaka pointed out while tapping her half-gloved finger on the screen.

"I agree. See if our artillery survived and place them there as well. As for the rest of our men we'll just have to push and establish a perimeter. Right now our main objectives are to hold the shoreline, aid the ODSTs and beat back any imperial dirtbags." Bradford said and gave the TACPAD back to the ranger before he moved on to guide his men.

"Oorah sir." Mitaka grinned as they prepared for battle.

The landing had been a complete success. Now they just had to hold their ground and survive the wrath of the empire.


	15. Chapter 15

**Why college? Why must you take all of my free time!?**

* * *

 **SSD** _ **Executor**_

 **Bridge**

 **Comms room**

Admiral Firmus Piett was a man that had survived for a long time under the command of the infamous Darth Vader. Not many imperial officers survived as long as he had, the sith lord expected his men to be as efficient as he was after all. Piett would never forget how Vader killed off his predecessor, admiral Ozzel, using the mystical force that nowadays was more legend than anything else. For Piett it was no myth or legend but a harsh truth. He was well aware of what his commanding officer could do when in a rather bad mood. Other officers had felt this personally as Vader had strangled them without even touching their necks.

Piett always feared that one day it was his turn, and at this moment it looked as if that day was today.

"And you are certain of this?" He asked once more as he stared at the holoprojection in front of him.

The man on the other end of the transmission was visibly worried and unnerved, his officer uniform slightly creased and stress marred his face. Moff Fulbur was normally a stoic man but to see him so worried was enough for Piett to be concerned as well. He was not only one of the more tolerable moffs but also the one in charge of their staging ground between the gateway and their conquered territories. Losing the installations in that system would set their war effort back tremendously.

"Yes, as of now we are under siege by the UNSC." Moff Fulbur replied while trying to stay professional. "A fleet of UNSC ships suddenly appeared without warning and began its assault on our defense fleet. Their attack was so sudden that most of our star destroyers didn't even get the chance to raise their shields. Even some of our shipyards have suffered great amounts of damage."

Piett sighed lowly as his mind already conjured up the ramifications that this presented. Even if they managed to fend off the attack they'd still experience major setbacks that they couldn't afford. Just the loss of one shipyard would mean that they'd be unable to repair or refuel some of their star destroyers. Their warships were already getting beaten by the UNSC's on other fronts, those repair facilities were more than necessary.

Yes, he was getting very fearful of when his lord would arrive to speak with the moff.

"We will need reinforcements as soon as possible." Fulbur continued. "Without extra ships we'll stand no chance!"

"Failure is not an option, moff Fulbur."

Both men tensed as the cold baritone voice of Darth Vader cut through their conversation. Piett looked to his side to see the tall, dark intimidating figure stand only a short distance away. His arms were folded behind his back and his presence was enough for Piett to almost shiver from how cold the room now felt.

"My lord, forgive me for my outburst." Fulbur quickly apologized as he bowed his head deeply.

The sith lord didn't say anything for a moment which made both the moff and admiral more anxious than they already were. Piett couldn't imagine how Fulbur as coping with a large battle raging on outside his space station while also conversing with an unpredictable dark lord. The air in the room felt oppressive and thick with tension, all of it because of only one man.

"Then begin explaining yourself." Vader finally spoke up.

Cutting right to the chase as usual, Piett noticed.

"My lord, we are under attack by an UNSC fleet which has already inflicted major casualties. Admiral Wincros ordered every ship in the system to rally at her side and has established a line of defense. However, the UNSC has been utilizing its FTL drives to jump around that line to attack from behind. As of now we are holding out but I fear that we will not succeed due to the dreadnaught that our foe possesses." The moff explained quickly and tried to keep it as short as possible.

"What kind of dreadnaught?" Vader pressed.

"The one that vice-admiral Raduss told us about in his report." Fulbur answered with a distraught expression. "It's larger than any UNSC ship we've ever seen and far more powerful. Its projectile cannon is powerful enough to gut star destroyers with ease. It even deployed smaller ships from its belly!"

"Focus on the smaller ones first." Vader replied as if it was obvious. "I shall send reinforcements your way immediately. Do not allow the enemy to destroy our installations, for your sake moff Fulbur."

Piett pitied the man who paled considerably as the sith lord spoke his verdict. He had heard of this UNSC dreadnaught and the stories were more than disturbing. One of the more prominent tales spoke of how the warship had exited its blue portal right next to an Imperial star destroyer and rammed right through it. Never before had he heard of a ship capable of simply ramming a star destroyer and coming out of it unharmed.

"There is more my lord." Fulbur said while slightly sweating. "The UNSC has deployed ground forces on our ground facilities in the system. I've already received reports from firebase 025 about drop pods falling through the sky carrying elite troopers. They tore the anti-air weapon emplacements apart before an entire invasion force began its landing. It's one colossal warzone down there."

At this news from the moff, Vader visibly glowered. Piett could almost feel the anger coming from the man.

"And what is their status?" Vader asked coldly.

"Not good, I'm afraid." The moff answered dreadfully. "Any troops during the initial attack have been wiped out leaving only our troops that were stationed inside the jungle. The commander onsite ordered a counteroffensive that consisted out of armored units along with all their remaining TIE strikers and other aircraft. However, the UNSC actually managed to fend them off by blocking the main routes. The situation grows more dire as we speak."

"There is nothing we can do about it now." Vader stated. "Tell them that if the enemy manages to breach the base's perimeter, they are to destroy all intelligence. Burn it all if necessary."

"Yes, my lord." Fulbur replied submissively.

"And what of our research facility?" Vader further asked.

Piett was thankful his input was not yet required because he knew his commanding officer enough to know when he was thoroughly displeased. He hoped that the moff had at least some good news or else the man might find himself treating a bruised neck, or worse.

"They haven't located it yet." Fulbur luckily answered. "The UNSC did deploy an assault force but the planet's weather interferes with their equipment as well it seems. They landed close to the research facility but hasn't neared it yet. Instead, our scouts reported that reconnaissance vehicles are scouring the area. Commander Xilo told me he plans on ambushing them."

And with that at least some tension left the room. The admiral almost sighed in relief that at least something was going well instead of horribly wrong.

"Tell him he may proceed. I care not about the mining facilities, they matter little. Yet I do want all the prisoners executed if necessary." The dark lord ordered with his full authority.

"Of course, my lord. I will not fail you." Moff Fulbur promised with another small bow of the head.

"Pray that you don't." Was the sith lord's ominous reply before the transmission ended, the blue hologram of the moff faded away shortly after. "Piett."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Contact all patrolling ships close to the system and tell them to converge on the nearest jump location. We must act swiftly to neutralize the UNSC fleet before they gain any more momentum. The intel stored in those facilities could change the war into their favor. This cannot be allowed." Vader ordered and briskly turned around before heading towards the durasteel door. "And contact admiral Killian. I want his flagship to participate in the battle."

"It will be done." Piett confirmed with a deep bow.

Satisfied with the answer, Vader left the room quickly. His pace was as brisk as usual when he was in a hurry as he walked through the corridors of his ship. Everyone in his path wisely stepped aside, some even pressing their backs against the cold durasteel walls, in order to evade a swift death at the dark lord's hands. There was no time to waste.

Vader had personally expected something like this to happen. From the very beginning of this war he had understood how powerful these enemies were compared to anything else that the imperial military had ever seen before. The UNSC's knowledge when it came to intel gathering and the denial of intelligence was impressive, so it was safe to assumed that it was only a matter of time before they'd discover the important imperial system.

He entered his codes into the lock of his personal quarters before entering them with purpose. Normally he wouldn't bother his master with such events but considering the harmful effects that could happen if the UNSC successfully infiltrated their facilities, of which the chance was high, it was for the best that his master knew. Vader passed his meditation chamber and quickly activated his holocommunicator.

He kneeled as soon as the visage of the emperor appeared before him.

"Lord Vader," the old man greeted, "this is quite unexpected. What news do you bring?"

"My master, I just received a report that our staging area is under attack by our enemy. As we speak, our facilities in the system are being assaulted and in danger of falling into our enemy's hands." The apprentice answered as he gazed up at the elder sith's deformed visage.

Palpatine's wrinkled skin creased as his face took on a displeased expression. The emperor frowned heavily and made no effort of hiding his opinion.

"This cannot happen, my apprentice. The empire cannot afford any setbacks of this magnitude at the moment. Our foe has been gaining momentum lately, no doubt the cause that led to this attack." Palpatine said while staying calm yet frowning all the while.

"Measures are being taken to limit the damage." Vader reported. "I have given the order to mobilize and reinforce our troops in the system. However, I believe they may not arrive in time to stop our foe from destroying our installations or worse, retrieve any potential harmful data. Moff Fulbur is aware of what must be done to protect the empire."

This news didn't visibly please the old man who was his ever sinister master but Vader knew it did. Even now a part of Vader seethed at having to grovel before his master, one that he should have killed off a long time ago. Yet he couldn't do that because of his injuries. The fires of Mustafar still flashed in his mind whenever he thought of his limitations, as did a memory of a once faithful friend who turned into his most hated enemy. What happened to him was because of his own foolishness but Obi-wan was equally to blame for this. Killing that old, senile fool had given Vader immense satisfaction when they had dueled on the firs death star. Because of him he could not overthrow his deceitful master.

Not without his son.

The thought of his young rebel son still made his battered heart ache. This war fueled his connection to the dark side but whenever he was alone in quarters with nothing to occupy his mind it would always drift towards his son. Luke was all that remained of his former self and his beloved Padme. Vader was always hesitant to admit it but he missed his own flesh and blood, the only thing of his union with Padme that had survived the flames of Mustafar and his hatred.

"You are still concerned about young Skywalker. Aren't you, my old friend?"

Vader silently berated himself for loosening his mental barriers for just a moment. He could show no weakness when speaking to his master. Even when in a different universe, the old sith lord still had the power to punish his apprentice.

"I am worried that the longer he remains outside of our hold, the more he will be poisoned by the jedi's treacherous lies." Vader replied speaking half the truth.

It wasn't the main source of his concern but it was still one of many. Just like his master…

Palpatine smiled almost fatherly which infuriated him, "Do not worry my old friend. Your son will soon be in our hands. My agents have been making progress in dealing with the rebellion, it is only a matter of time before they discover the location of young Skywalker."

While Vader wanted to find his son, he was not as receptive to the idea of his master finding Luke. The old man would no doubt corrupt his son and turn him into a monster just like he was. There was still bitter anger and fiery hatred in Vader's soul towards Palpatine for all the deceit and lies back when he was a jedi. Vader wanted for Luke to join him, but after experiencing that soothing light that was his son's force signature, he was doubting his decision. What would Padme think? She was gone so her opinion hardly mattered anymore but when it came to Luke it just felt… wrong.

What should he do?

"Of course, my master." Vader replied submissively, the war in his mind raging on behind sturdy barriers.

He would remain the loyal servant for now. But one day…

* * *

 **Imperial ice planet**

 **Northern hemisphere**

 **Area surrounding imperial complex**

"Thorne! Get over here!"

Spartan Gabriel Thorne almost dropped his rifle when DeMarco yelled his name. He knew he was taking a while to grab some ammo but didn't know he had been stalling that long of a time.

The blue-armored Spartan IV put the last magazine in his pouches before leaving the small supply drop before jogging off towards the rest of his team were. The snow crunched beneath his armored feet while the harsh and cold wind blew against his helmeted face. He was glad for the protection he wore against the cold weather they were in, and also pitied the marines who despite having winter clothing still had a lot of trouble with the cold.

He ran past the marine squads that were mounting up, all Warthogs and Mongooses were finally detached from the Pelicans, as they readied themselves for the trip. It was a whole convoy of vehicles that was supposed to go look for the enemy base before any reinforcements could be sent down here. Air vehicles suffered from the harsh weather and this limited air traffic, including the reconnaissance drones. Searching for the imperials would have to be on foot for this operation.

The marines around him were already hard at work complaining about the weather and the chilling cold of the planet. Thorne couldn't help but smirk slightly behind his helmet. It were times like these that he really appreciated the headgear.

"Climb aboard Thorne." Hoya said as Thorne finally reached his fireteam's Warthogs.

Thorne climbed into the passenger seat of the Warthog while Hoya sat in the driver's seat with Madsen manning the gun. Their Warthog was right next to the one that DeMarco shared with Grant and sergeant O'Malley. Both Warthogs were standing still somewhere in the middle of the convoy. The word to move out hadn't been given yet but it shouldn't take much longer for it to happen.

"What was taking you so long?" Madsen asked from behind.

"I didn't take that long." Thorne quickly defended himself. "I just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed plus some extra in case we need it."

"Oh back off Madsen, let him decide what he wants to bring." Hoya chuckled with an amused grin behind his visor. "I wouldn't mind it if he brought that hot marine chick along."

"Amen to that." DeMarco spoke up from his own vehicle.

"You're all pigs." Grant said jokingly.

Fireteam Majestic laughed at her comment, they knew they could be an obnoxious bunch but quite frankly they didn't care. If anything it only reinforced their team dynamic.

"Alright everyone," Their CO spoke up over the comms, "time to move out. The sooner we're out there the sooner we're back in our warm ship."

"That's our cue." DeMarco said as he started his jeep.

Hoya did the same with theirs, the engine rumbled once before turning on. All the other vehicles also started up and soon the front vehicles began moving forward. Everyone else followed including fireteam Majestic's Warthogs. The whole convoy was quickly on its way to begin their search for the imperial base.

They were lucky that their vision wasn't too much obscured even with the fact that it was getting evening on the planet. The skies were already turning darker while the temperature kept dropping. Frost was showing on the windshields of the jeeps and were it not for the light from the headlights they'd be having trouble navigating.

"Hey Madsen, how about you and I make a bet?" Hoya said after a while of driving in silence.

"I'm interested." The sniper replied.

"I bet you that I can take down more stormies than you."

Madsen chuckled mirthfully, "Now that's a bet I'll take. You're going down Hoya, what are we betting for?"

"Money, of course." Hoya said as he drove them through the snowy landscape. "Fifty, take it or leave it."

"Deal."

"You do realize he's manning a gun and you're behind a wheel right?" DeMarco suddenly asked the pair.

Hoya's silence told them enough. Thorne burst out laughing next to Hoya while Madsen joined in albeit a bit more subdued. It were times like these that Hoya's impulsiveness didn't work out in his favor. Their sniper on the other hand welcomed it with open arms.

"Hey Thorne, how about you?" Hoya said, trying to divert attention to the rookie. "Want to try it as well?"

"Sure, why not." Thorne replied as he patted his assault rifle.

"That's a hundred for me then." Madsen boasted.

DeMarco shook his head as he listened in on his team's banter, he would love to take the bet as well but quite frankly he wasn't interested in paying any of them. Grant rolled her eyes behind her visor while thinking the guys could use a little rebuke from Palmer for their arrogance. While their fireteam was relatively new, they had already fought together on multiple occasions. They knew a lot about each other now and Grant personally had a lot of faith in them yet didn't mind it when her fellow Spartans got chewed out.

"Do you see anything out there, sergeant O'Malley?" DeMarco asked their gunner.

"Snow, snow and nothing else but snow. Can't see shit out here." O'Malley replied grumpily.

"What a surprise." Grant muttered under her breath.

"Cheer up, knowing the imperials they'll be all over us soon enough." DeMarco said as he drove them behind a pair of Mongooses.

"And that is supposed to reassure me?" Grant asked as she gazed at her team leader.

DeMarco let out a small laugh, "Never said it would."

"How many imperials have you guys fought?" The sergeant passenger spoke up curious about their achievements.

"We've been to a few fronts." DeMarco answered. "Small ops that had us fighting behind enemy lines to disrupt communications, kill off leadership, destroy artillery and a bunch of other tasks that helped wherever it could. Truthfully we're actually quite new to the whole Spartan business. We weren't even part of the _Infinity_ 's Spartan division until a short while ago."

"I guess they wanted all the help they could get for this assault." Grant added.

"Well I'm glad you're all here." O'Malley said while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. "Damn imperials aren't that tough on their own but it's their numbers that really tires the boys. They've been getting restless as well, not getting the chance to strike back. I'm glad we got this opportunity."

"We all are sergeant." DeMarco replied honestly. "Every soldier and sailor has been itching to take the fight to the imperials. Rumor is that if we can get enough intel out of these facilities, we might find out where the imps are coming from. Then we'll shove a nuke right up their asses."

The sergeant behind the Warthog's gun chuckled in mirth at the Spartan's words. That was what every marine was thinking about, some good old payback.

"Glad to hear it Spartan. More reasons for us to find this base."

"How about you sergeant?" Grant asked the man. "How long have you been fighting?"

"I signed up shortly after the end of the great war. I got stationed on this inner colony world where they have all of these big companies. Me and my squad would run drills and patrol but never got to see any action. Not even a single criminal or innie. Then the empire attacked and before we knew it we were shipped off to fight some storm troopers. First engagement with them went all right. The second time they came at us with their smaller walkers and a lot of corpses. Our position was decently fortified so we managed to hold out long enough for the imperials to fall back out of necessity." O'Malley explained before his eyes took an a grim glint. "Then they arrived with those giant walkers. Damned things shrugged off any of our anti-tank weapons that we possessed. They just trampled our barricades while blasting us to pieces. To make matters worse they somehow got enough air support to perform a bunch of strafing runs."

"That couldn't have been pleasant." DeMarco said but a bit more quietly to show some respect.

Grant was silent as she listened to the sergeant's tale. Almost everyone had one nowadays, be it good or bad.

"No kidding. I remember hearing some men crying out in pain as they lost body parts and gallons of blood. Me and my squad were lucky to have been positioned inside fox holes. The big walkers broke down our defenses that we spent building for hours in just over three minutes. After that they once again sent their troopers to smoke us out of our holes with grenades and flamethrowers. I'll never forget how one of my men, a young private that hadn't even seen anything else beside his hometown and a military base, was burned alive by one of those imps. Poor bastard got stuck trying to crawl behind a barricade when a whole slab of concrete fell on his leg. Instead of putting a hole in his head to end his suffering they just burned him like the rest." O'Malley took a deep breath before continuing his story. "In the end we had to fall back as our flyboys carpet bombed the hell out of the imps that had overrun our position. We lost so many and only held the enemy back for a short amount of time. It wasn't for nothing, many civilians were evacuated during that time, but not nearly enough if we had managed to hold our ground just a little longer. Even then there were still too many bogies in the sky, a hefty amount of transports, both civilians and military, were shot down by TIEs. That's why me and my boys are so eager to fight. We want to avenge those who died."

Both Grant and DeMarco silently agreed. The two of them felt sympathetic to the sergeant's plight since they too had suffered situations like that. It's what drove them to be better, to train harder and fight even harder than now.

"Convoy, hold up." Came a voice over the radio.

"Looks like something's going on." Grant remarked.

The entire convoy of UNSC vehicles came to a halt as the order was heard by every driver. Many were wondering what was wrong but they all remained in their seats.

Madsen used his helmet's vision to zoom in on the front of the convoy. He could faintly make out two Mongooses on the left with two men standing next to them. They were talking about something it seemed before the two Mongooses sped off towards the east.

"Do you think they found something?" Hoya spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"I don't know." Madsen replied honestly. "However, I'm pretty sure they saw something. Two Mongooses just left formation."

"Maybe they spotted something alongside that mountain pass." Thorne proposed as he pointed at the two mountains in the distance.

"Whatever it is, I think something is going to happen soon." Hoya said forebodingly. "Something just doesn't feel right to me."

"Attention all vehicles," The convoy's CO announced, "we're headed towards those mountains. Stay close and keep your eyes open."

Seconds later the jeeps resumed their journey as they all steered to the left, towards the darkened forms of the jagged mountains. It was getting darker by the minute and it was unsettling when driving in a dangerous environment while also being in enemy territory.

"Don't tell me we're driving through that pass." Madsen said as they came closer. "That's just asking for an ambush."

"I think the CO knows that as well. The most logical thing to assume is that we're investigating it for any imperial signs. It's one of the closest and largest mountain formations in our search zone." Thorne replied wisely.

"Makes sense to me." Hoya simply said.

"Just drive us safely for once." Madsen told their driver. "You zigzag more than I can count."

"Well why don't you try driving through piles of snow. I'd love to see you do it."

"Keep the chatter to a minimum guys." DeMarco told them over the comms. "Or at least turn your comms off when you bicker like an old couple."

"Understood." Both Hoya and Madsen replied feeling embarrassed.

Minutes passed as the UNSC convoy continued to trek through the barren icy landscape that was getting colder and more dangerous as time moved on. The wind was picking up and it was getting harder to see but that didn't deter the marines. They weren't happy with their situation yet they tried to not be bothered by it. For now they just had to focus on their mission and find that imperial facility. They were almost there.

Up ahead the mountains were casting a shadow over the land as the sun set slowly. The UNSC soldiers were attentive and looking for any sign of trouble, yet trouble wasn't far off it seemed.

Without any warning the ground shook as four pillars of snow rose up from below. The convoy came to a sudden halt as the snow fell off what were clearly imperial turbolaser towards. The tall towers were distinctively grey, although it was hard to say with the approaching darkness, and the two barrels were also a giveaway.

"Everyone spread out!"

The turbolasers began firing at the convoy, bright green blaster bolts whizzing past the Warthogs and Mongooses. The jeeps quickly put some distance between each other though that didn't stop the towers from claiming lives. More than one Warthog was shot to smithereens by the heavy turbolasers.

Hoya steered their Warthog to the left and just barely evaded being blasted. Thorne held on to keep him steady while watching as a nearby Warthog was hit. The two emerald streaks of energy punctured the front armor and destroyed the whole engine which in turn blew up the whole vehicle. Flames burst out of the jeep as the marines inside didn't stand a chance. The wreckage burned brightly and was soon left behind by the rest.

"Damn it!" Madsen cursed out loud. "We got hostiles moving in!"

"Oh this can't be real." Hoya muttered.

Thorne simply stared at the sight in front of them. He had to give it to the imperials, they knew how to conceal a base.

It hadn't been visible before but with the lights turned on, the position of the imperial facility was rather clear now. Multiple lamps were turned on at the base of the steep mountain while large metal doors opened up. Smaller doors opened as well while imperial troopers ran out to meet the enemy head-on. Multiple walkers also exited the large doors while the troopers manned their stations. They took positions in trenches that had been dug in advance where the imperials could set up their stationary blasters. All in all it was a large line of defense between the UNSC and the entrance to the facility, one that was full with numerous imperial infantry and armor.

"It's an ambush, I knew it!" Madsen yelled as he squeezed the trigger of the turret.

"This is going to suck." Hoya muttered negatively.

They were lucky that only the turbolasers were able to fire at them. The troopers on the other hand had to wait for the marines to get closer to them before they could get a decent shot.

"I hope command is sending those reinforcements. We need them as soon as possible." Grant said while O'Malley kept firing.

One of the gauss Warthogs fired another shot at the nearest tower, the armor of the weapon emplacement shuddered and bended beneath the force of the impact. The gauss cannon fired again and this time punched through the weakened armor. Flames erupted from the turbolaser as the cannon managed to hit blaster gas chamber. A loud explosion occurred mere moments later as a red and green mix of fire illuminated the land around the tower.

"We're not doing so bad." DeMarco said as he gazed at the burning tower.

At that exact same moment an explosive projectile landed near the Warthog and exploded. Snow was flung in the air along with pieces of rock that rested beneath it, forcing DeMarco to adjust his course.

"You were saying?" Grant grunted as small pieces of stone showered over them.

More projectiles landed around them as the imperials started using their mortars. Snow trooper crew manned the mortars inside their foxholes as they bombarded the convoy. They were not only unpredictable but also a lot more difficult to evade than the turbolasers.

"Watch out!" Thorne yelled.

Hoya looked to their left just in time to see the burning wreckage of a Warthog heading towards them, but was too late to evade it. Their jeep collided with the burning metal of the destroyed Warthog which spun them around. The Spartans cried out in shock and surprise before the Warthogs crashed into the snow. Shields flared as they were flung out of their seats and slammed into the ground.

Thorne groaned as he opened his eyes, his ears were ringing and the alarm on his HUD showed him that his shields were down. The Spartan IV blinked a few times before his vision was completely restored. He could see the darkened sky above him and some snow on his faceplate before Madsen stepped into the picture.

"Thorne, get up! Get up now, we need to move!"

As if a switch had been flipped he sprang into action. Thorne grabbed his rifle before standing up on wobbly legs.

"Are you alright?" Madsen asked urgently.

Thorne nodded slowly in reply, "I'm fine. Just one hell of a headache."

Madsen didn't laugh at the comment but he did pat his teammate on the shoulder. They quickly left their position as they sprinted towards the remains of their vehicle. Warthogs and Mongooses were still driving around while the imperials kept bombarding them.

Madsen was the first to arrive and quickly crouched next to a prone Hoya. Thorne arrived seconds later while checking for any hostiles. The sniper turned Hoya around while checking up on his vitals before trying to get the man to wake up.

"Ugh, remind me to take the passenger's seat next time." The dark-skinned Spartan groaned.

"Just get up." Madsen retorted.

Hoya slowly got up as his eyes darted over the terrain. He was looking for something but couldn't find it, until Thorne approached him with his shotgun. Hoya nodded his gratitude as his felt the comfortable weight of his weapons in his hands once more.

"DeMarco, our jeep just crashed but we're alright. What's your location?" Madsen asked over the comms.

"Grant and I are sitting next to the burning tower with the sergeant. Our jeep crashed as well." The team leader replied.

"With crashing he means losing control and almost driving into a tower." Grant remarked as gunfire could be heard.

"Yeah, yeah." DeMarco said dismissively. "Look, we're being attacked by troopers at the moment. Get your asses over here but watch yourselves."

"Roger that, we're on our way."

The three Spartan IVs wasted no time to get moving. They ran across the frozen battlefield that despite being dark was still illuminated because of the burning vehicles and the large turbolaser tower that had been destroyed. Speaking of turbolaser towers, Thorne noticed that another one had fallen silent. A gauss Warthog had probably managed to incapacitate it or perhaps a rocket launcher. The turbolaser wasn't firing anymore which took a lot of pressure off of what was left of the convoy. From what he could see, most of the vehicles were driving around at the edges of the imperial defense line while any survivors were regrouping.

An explosion to his left shook him out of his thoughts as he saw another mortar crater. Only a few meters away from the crater were a group of marines who understandably sighed in relief. If they had stood any closer they would have been killed or seriously injured. All they suffered from now were just ringing ears.

"Come on, we're almost there." Hoya said as they neared the tower.

The three Spartans picked up the pace when they saw DeMarco along with Grant, sergeant O'Malley and a lot of snow troopers. The imperials had the terrain advantage for once with their white armor. It was incredibly hard to spot them in the now when they weren't firing their rifles. However, Madsen could see most of them now.

"Go on, I'll cover you." He told his teammates.

The sniper quickly halted behind a destroyed Mongoose and crouched low, set up his sniper rifle's bipod before looking for targets. Hoya and Thorne kept moving but could hear the distinct sound of Madsen's rifle firing. With the ranged support they felt a lot more comfortable.

Hoya and Thorne ran as fast as they could while maintaining a sense of caution. They didn't want to be taken by surprise but didn't want to stay too long out in the open. With their enhanced speed which was only improved by their armor they reached DeMarco's position relatively quickly.

DeMarco fired another shot at a trooper in the distance before he took cover again, at that moment he saw the two coming towards him.

"Nice of you to stop by." He said and nodded at them. "I assume Madsen is giving some ranged support if those dead troopers are any indication."

"He does what he does best." Grant commented. "What's the plan?"

"First things first, we get to a better position. Those trenches aren't too far away. If we move in fast we can infiltrate their position and neutralize the threat." DeMarco explained. "Hoya and Thorne, you two will take the left side while we take the right. Sergeant O'Malley, rally the rest of the marines and follow our path."

"Got it boss." Hoya replied in confirmation.

"I'll get the boys moving." O'Malley agreed before reaching for his radio.

Hoya patted Thorne's back and said confidently, "How about it Thorne? Ready to kick imperial ass?"

"I'm right behind you." The Spartan replied, brandishing his assault rifle.

They ran around the burning tower as fast as they could while being fired upon by the snow troopers. It was a good thing that no walker was targeting them, instead the armored units were focusing on the Warthogs that were driving around the perimeter. Thorne held his finger on the trigger as they neared the first trench. Hoya was taking point since his shotgun would be most effective once they were there. The two of them were quite skilled in CQC so that would also play to their advantage.

Blaster bolts flew past them as some troopers shot at the Spartan IVs, the heat of the energy bolts melting some of the snow. He could get a decent shot but that didn't stop Thorne from answering with a burst of his rifle. He didn't care if he hit anyone, it was only meant as suppressive fire anyways.

Hoya jumped into the trench with grace as did Thorne, albeit with not as much. He slipped on the icy ground and fell sideways against the trench's walls.

"Easy there Thorne, we don't want to kiss the ground." Hoya jested while aiming his shotgun down the trench.

"Yeah, yeah." His friend grumbled while getting up.

Hoya went first as they walked through the trench, keeping their eyes open for any troopers. They could hear the gunfire and the shouts of the soldiers but so far there was no there. Thorne stayed calm and collected as he covered their back. He tried not to let the screams get to him and instead focused on completing his objectives.

Just as they moved around a corner they came face to face with their first enemies, a squad of snow troopers.

"Spartans!" One of the white-clad men yelled in surprise.

"Blast them!" The squad leader ordered loudly.

Hoya and Thorne quickly opened fire and managed to down two of the troopers before they could even fire a single shot. The rest began blasting the Spartans but their shields stopped each blaster bolt that made contact with the MJOLNIR armor. Hoya placed the stock of his shotgun against his shoulder before squeezing the trigger, firing a round at the closest trooper which happened to be the squad leader. The white armor failed to soak up the damage and the snow trooper fell on the ground with a hole in his chest. The final trooper was then dispatched by Thorne who placed three bullets in the man's torso.

"Well that was easy." Hoya remarked as he looked at their handiwork.

"Says you. My shields were almost gone." Thorne replied.

Hoya grinned as they moved on. They walked over the corpses of the imperial soldiers to get to the next intersection of the trenches.

"Then try not to get hit."

"Seriously?" Thorne asked incredulously. "There was nothing to use for cover except you."

"And I'm glad you didn't. I would have kicked your ass for doing something like that." Hoya replied, half joking and half serious.

They walked through the trench for a minute or so before they once again encountered snow troopers. The imperials were ready for them this time, they had an assortment of weaponry ranging from normal blaster rifles to some of the more powerful ones like heavy blasters. Thorne personally experienced how much power those weapons had when only one blaster bolt from a heavy blaster lowered his shields by a large margin. Hoya worked fast to dispose of them as did Thorne.

Hoya just shot another trooper in the chest when a loud cry caught his attention. A rather reckless trooper came jumping into the trench, right on Hoya's back much to the latter's surprise. The Spartan grunted as the imperial refused to let go. Thorne saw what was going on but he was too busy fending off his own opponents. Hoya began to get immensely annoyed by the unwanted passenger he was carrying and with one fast move he threw the man over his shoulder onto the ground. He then proceeded to aim his shotgun before killing his assailant.

More troopers arrived on the scene which was bad for the two Spartans since they would get surrounded pretty fast if this kept up. Hoya had to resort to using the dead body of snow trooper as a shield to block incoming blaster bolts. They needed to move and fast, or they would lose the advantage.

"Cover me!" He told Thorne as he sprinted forward.

His teammate was used to his impulsiveness and was quick to follow along. Thorne checked his ammunition before giving Hoya the support that he needed.

"Stop him!" A random trooper yelled.

The ones closest to the Spartans obviously had second thoughts, their body language betrayed the fear and hesitation. However, that did not stop them from firing at the incoming attacker. Hoya dashed forward while carrying his meat shield before throwing it at the snow troopers in the back. Two of them were knocked over as the body slammed into their own. Hoya readied his shotgun, stormed their defenses and started killing troopers left and right.

Imperial soldiers dropped dead as time went on. They were doing some damage but every single time when they were about to overwhelm one of the Spartans the other would come to his aid. Their teamwork was splendid and for the troopers it meant death. Thorne was there for Hoya to watch his back as the shotgun-wielding Spartan IV fought up close and personal.

"We're almost there." Thorne said with some relief.

Almost all of the snow troopers were dead except for a few survivors that were being dispatched by Hoya. Without their superior numbers they were nothing more than an annoyance for the super soldiers. The last snow trooper to have survived let out a soft groan before falling over, displaying a hole in his chest with blood seeping out of it that turned the white snow red.

"We're done here." Hoya declared as he stepped over the corpse. "Geez, you don't realize how much damage you do until the adrenaline wears off."

Thorne had to concur. He looked around and saw over a dozen of dead imperials while they were still standing. Not a single trooper had made it out alive.

"I don't know about you but I can still feel that adrenaline." Thorne said.

Hoya was about to say something but fell silent as he felt something coming. It took only a second or two before he realized what was about to happen.

"Thorne, move!"

Suddenly an AT-ST stopped near the trench with its blaster cannon aimed at them. Thorne and Hoya ran as quickly as they could as the scout walker barraged their previous location with red blaster bolts. They looked over their shoulders and saw that unfortunately for them the AT-ST pursued them. The trenches provided some degree of cover but the walker's higher position gave it its own advantage.

"Keep moving!" Hoya yelled as they ran away from the mechanical threat.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Thorne muttered under his breath.

He instinctively covered his head when a blaster bolt hit the ground a bit too close for comfort. The AT-ST was right behind them while ignoring any other foes in favor for them. Sometimes being a Spartan had its downsides which was what Thorne was beginning to understand at the moment.

"We can't keep running like this." Thorne told Hoya as he caught up to him.

"I know that genius, but how do you plan on getting us out of this mess?" His friend retorted slightly annoyed.

Thorne looked over his shoulder to see the walker chasing after them as fast as possible. Its legs were almost sprinting as well in order to stay on their trail. An idea popped up in his head, it was crazy but might just work if he did it properly. Not like he had any other choice either.

"Keep running forward." Thorne said. "I have a plan."

"Wait, you do?" Hoya replied in confusion but didn't slow down.

Thorne took a deep breath before stopping completely. His armored feet dug into the snow as he slid a small distance before coming to a halt. Hoya thought he was insane to do something like that and so did the AT-ST drivers probably. Thorne quickly sprang into action again as he started running towards the imperial walker. The blaster fire was getting dangerously close but so was he.

"Thorne!" Hoya yelled alarmed as he saw what was happening.

Thorne didn't reply and instead kept on running as fast as he could in the walker's direction. The imperial vehicle's head bended downwards to get a better shot but it was too late. Through sheer luck or skill he had made it to the legs of the scout walker.

He grasped one of the legs with a hand before placing the other one a bit higher. Thorne grunted in effort as he slowly climbed on the legs, a feat that was nothing short of extremely difficult considering the fact that the walker was still moving. He almost lost his grip but remained steadfast as he moved higher up. After a few seconds of climbing he had made it to the walker's head and was hanging on to it from the back. Thorne let out a sigh of relief but that moment was cut short when blaster bolts whizzed past him. Apparently some snow troopers had spotted the blue figure on the grey head of the walker.

"Oh come on." Thorne grumbled when a bolt hit the walker's head only inches away from him.

He moved on while trying to dodge the blaster fire to the best of his ability although that was almost impossible. His hands latched on to the upper side of the walker's body and with his enhanced strength he hauled himself over it. Thorne was about to continue when suddenly the walker's hatch opened up, allowing one of the drivers to look around with a pistol in his hands. The imperial was about to take aim at him but Thorne was quicker and slammed the hatch on the driver with tremendous force. The Spartan IV opened the hatch again and paid no mind to the two drivers inside as he armed one of his grenades and threw it inside. Thorne closed the hatch again before jumping off the scout walker. Luckily the snow softened his landing, Thorne moved away from the AT-ST just as its body exploded in a fiery ball of shrapnel.

Thorne crawled inside of a trench as the walker toppled over, his breathing was a bit too fast but he was just happy he made it.

"Not bad Thorne, but that only counts as one." Hoya commented as the dark-skinned man approached his friend. "Time to get up pal."

Thorne groaned but accepted the hand that Hoya held out. He grasped it before being dragged back onto his feet.

"Two to be precise, two drivers." He managed to say as he calmed down again.

"Fine, but only because what you did was crazy." Hoya replied jovially.

Suddenly roar of engines caught their attention, they stayed silent as they focused on the particular sound. There was a rumble as lights appeared in the darkened sky and through the snow that descended from the cold air. It took only a few seconds for the two Spartans to recognize what was coming.

Pelicans flew overhead with fresh troops to bolster their ranks. There was even a pair of heavy Pelicans on gunship duty. The gunships were the first to announce their presence as they immediately launched a missile barrage at the still functioning turbolaser towers. Those towers stood no chance when the missiles slammed into their armor and broke through, destroying the inner workings of the defenses before blowing it all up. The gunships didn't stop there, they performed a strafing run over the battlefield with their heavy machine guns before coming around for another pass. Over a dozen imperial snow troopers were laying on the cold ground with punctured bodies.

It was then that the dropships came. The Pelicans slowed their descent as they prepared to disembark their reinforcements.

"Alright, that's what I'm talking about." Hoya said excitingly. "Finally some reinforcements."

The first Pelicans landed without a hitch except for the few blaster rifles aimed at them though that didn't do much. Marines exited the dropships and started moving towards their fellow soldiers that had been fighting for a while now. Others ran towards the trenches so they could properly fight the imperials.

Just as the second wave was about to land, a bright green energy bolt flew through the sky before hitting a dropship's wing. The thruster was immediately blown to bits while fire spread and smoke erupted from the broken machinery. With one of its wings destroyed, the Pelican started to go out of control even though the pilot tried to prevent this. The Pelican then crashed into the ground seconds later and blew up almost instantly after that.

"No, no, no!" Hoya cursed out loud. "Dammit!"

Thorne looked past them and at the mountain that acted as the imperial base, and true enough he could see what was responsible for the Pelican's demise. There were multiple anti-air turbolasers placed on the mountainside, each one having a single barrel that fired emerald energy bolts at the incoming Pelicans. The sky was practically lit up with green energy bolts and the occasional burst of flames when a Pelican was hit.

"We need to neutralize those anti-air guns." Thorne stated.

"And how are we going to do that?" Hoya asked in frustration.

"Perhaps we can help with that." Came DeMarco's voice over the comms.

Hoya looked over the trench line and saw him, Madsen and Grant run over to them while being followed by three Scorpions. A group of marines were running alongside the tanks to fend off any imperial infantry as the UNSC tanks rolled over the snow. Seeing not one but three of those tanks immediately raised the two Spartans' spirits.

"How's it going fellas?" Madsen asked as he jumped down the trench.

"Considering they haven't send anymore walkers at us I'd say we're doing alright." Hoya replied with a grin beneath his helmet. "How about you?"

"Cozy trench." Madsen remarked as he looked for any imperials through his scope.

"Alright, that's enough catching up." DeMarco said. "We're going to drive these tanks forward so we can get a good shot at those cannons."

"Sounds simple enough." Hoya said as he checked his shotgun.

"As long as we protect the tanks it is. However, these imps seem to have lots of heavy weaponry and they still have some of their walkers. The rest of the convoy, or what's left of it, is distracting their heavily armed walkers. It's up to us to blow up the anti-air weaponry so we can call in more of our reinforcements. Understood?" The Spartans nodded. "That's what I like to hear. Fireteam Majestic, move out!"

* * *

 **Imperial space station**

 **Control room**

 **Upper platform**

"Blast it!" Moff Fulbur cursed as he slammed his gloved fist on the table.

Commander Xilo stared impassively at his commanding officer through the holoprojector. He saw that the moff was stressed and with good reason, they had yet to beat back the UNSC fleet. In fact they were losing more ground to them both in space and on the ground itself. The situation was growing dire and desperate with each passing second.

Fulbur was standing in the command center of the imperial space station, enjoying some relative safety. There were ships protecting the station along with defense satellites but for how long? Whoever was in charge of that UNSC fleet was extremely skilled and more than capable of dishing out damage. And that dreadnaught…

"My defenses are holding strong, for now." Xilo spoke up. "But our enemy is determined. They've deployed their Spartans and with them they're ravaging my forward lines. I've had to pull back my men when they deployed reinforcements and am relying on my anti-air guns. However, it is only a matter of time before those are gone too."

"Then purge all data files." Fulbur declared coldly. "Do not allow any information to fall into our enemy's hands."

"I understand." Xilo nodded.

"Good. I do have some good news though. We will soon be reinforced by our patrol ships and nearby fleets." The moff said before casting a quick glance towards the viewports.

He almost shivered as he saw the carnage in space. Never before had he seen such destruction, such viciousness displayed by a hostile foe. It was enough to question his own safety even inside this space fortress. Fulbur sincerely hoped that their reinforcements would arrive soon or they wouldn't make it.

"Such news will help lift the spirits of our men." Xilo said, breaking the moff out of his musings. "Our situation is bleak at the moment with those kriffing Spartans."

"Tell me about it." Fulbur sighed.

"Sir! We have incoming contacts headed towards the station!" An officer reported loudly over the chatter.

Fulbur's eyes widened considerably and he turned around to gape in shock at the imperial. Incoming contacts? Surely not one of the UNSC warships?

"What kind of contacts?!" Fulbur demanded to know.

"Unknown sir, we have no records of this kind of UNSC vessel. It's around the size of a starfighter but it's too small to be one of the standard UNSC starfighters." Was the imperial's reply.

"Then get me a visual!" Fulbur all but shouted.

The man nodded quickly and typed on his console. A screen came to life showing the blackness of space but with four green squares locked on what was headed towards them. The visual feed zoomed in on the targets, revealing them to be some sort of weapons platform with big thrusters attached to it. There was no cockpit of any sorts which allowed the moff to identify the pilots.

"By the emperor." A lieutenant at his side whispered.

"Moff Fulbur? Sir, what's going on over there?" Xilo asked over the comms in clear confusion.

"Spartans." Fulbur quietly said and then spoke louder. "We have Spartans inbound! Activate all defense satellites and sent out TIE fighters immediately. Do not allow them to reach this station!"

Outside of the imperial space station there were dozens of small turbolaser defense satellites, all of them activating their targeting protocols as they detected the incoming spacecraft. The turrets began locking onto the small vessels while squadrons of TIE fighters moved to intercept the same targets. Imperial starfighters left the hangar bays of the station in a hurry as they had a single purpose in mind; destroy those starfighters.

As for the Spartans, they were not intimated at all.

"Looks like they've sent a welcoming party and rolled out the red carpet." Fred 104 remarked as Blue Team flew towards the first defense satellites.

"How nice of them." Kelly said while flying next to him on her own Open Frame 92/Extra-Vehicular Activity, or better known as the Booster Frame.

"Stay focused." Chief told them.

The four Spartan IIs flew next to each other as they came closer to the imperials, all the while the naval battle still raged on in the background. Their mission was simple, get inside the station and retrieve any vital intelligence before sabotaging it from the inside with a HAVOK nuke. Fred was the one to carry the explosive that they would use. Since Pelican insertion was too risky and more likely to fail they had been given Booster Frames to fly to the space station. Compliments of ONI of course.

"Hostiles coming in hot." Linda announced once the TIEs came in range.

Two whole squadrons of TIE fighters came into range before attacking the Spartans with their blaster cannons. Chief didn't even have to give the command as they all immediately began evading the incoming blaster bolts. They skillfully dodged every emerald energy bolt thanks to their incredible reflexes, especially Kelly who performed the best out of all four of them.

"Blue Team, return fire." Chief ordered before pressing down on the trigger.

A hail of gunfire came from the Booster Frames as the Spartans began claiming kills. TIE pilots would try to evade but the precise aim of the Spartans was enough to take down many of them. The imperial starfighters would fire upon the super soldiers as well but the small size and the large mobility that the Booster Frames packed made it difficult to get a proper lock.

Kelly found herself being chased down by three TIE fighters that had decided to gang up on her. They kept trailing her every movement and refused to let her go. She was still fast enough to dodge their attacks but to take them down she would need either help or do something crazy. Luckily for her the answer came in the form of Fred barraging the TIEs from the side with heavy machine guns. The projectiles cut through the solar panels and cockpit of the starfighters, effectively destroying every single one of them.

"Thanks for the assist." Kelly called out to Fred.

"Any time." Was his honest reply.

They didn't get the time to say anything else as more TIE fighters came into range. By now there weren't only the standard TIE starfighters anymore but also the faster TIE interceptor with more on the way. Were it not for the speed of the Booster Frames, the Spartans would have found themselves overwhelmed.

"We need to get to the station asap." Linda said while launching a missile at a TIE. "More enemies are on the way."

"Linda, form up on me to destroy those defenses with cluster missiles. Kelly and Fred, keep us covered." Chief ordered.

"Roger."

"Affirmative."

"Understood."

The team of Spartan IIs quickly carried out the plan. Kelly and Fred helped each other to attract the TIE pilots and also kill as many as they could. They would fly towards each other while being trailed by TIE fighters only for them to suddenly break off and go after the other's foes. They flew and fought perfectly in sync.

As for the Chief and Linda they flew at each other's side while being trailed by two TIE interceptors. Torrents of green blaster fire whizzed past them but not a single bolt struck the targets. Both Spartans were evading while nearing their own targets. Chief looked down his HUD and began to lock on to the multiple defense satellites that blocked their path. The turrets' cannons automatically aimed at the incoming UNSC starfighters and after aligning themselves they opened fire. A wave of blaster fire lit up the darkness of space like a laser show.

Chief performed a barrel roll to dodge blaster fire coming from one of his pursuers. Miraculously the emerald bolts that came from a turret went past him and struck one of the interceptors, claiming the pilot's life and lessening Chief's burden. Linda performed excellent as well and soon they neared the satellites.

"I've got my targets." The sniper announced.

"Fire."

Each one launched a box with thrusters that moments later opened up revealing dozens of missiles. The UNSC weapons were activated before speeding off towards the numerous imperial defenses. Weapon platforms blew up in bright explosions like fireworks, creating a pathway for the super soldiers.

"Blue Team form up." Master Chief ordered.

Seconds later all three of his team mates flocked to his side while the TIE fighters regrouped. They were getting near the space station and a hangar bay was in sight.

"Almost there. Prepare for boarding and close quarters combat." Chief told them.

At that exact moment a squadron of TIE fighters made a last attempt at stopping the Spartans. Blaster cannons roared as the Booster Frames were barraged by emerald bolts. Kelly's Booster Frame unfortunately for her got hit by the blaster bolts that quickly dissolved her shields before striking the machinery, one hitting a thruster and the other just next to the pilot's seat. Her aircraft quickly began failing her as fire erupted from it.

"Hop on!" Linda yelled at her while flying closer to her Booster Frame.

Kelly wasted no time and climbed aboard Linda's Booster Frame before her own exploded. She quickly got to the back of the starfighter and activated the turret manually. The heavy caliber machine gun rose from the Booster Frame's back which allowed the incredibly fast Spartan to lash out at the TIEs. The nearest TIE fighter's pilot examined the target in front of him closely before realizing little too late what Kelly had done. His cockpit was riddled with bullets shortly after. The others quickly tried to break off but Kelly was faster and killed two more TIEs with the turret.

"Alright, ready yourselves." Chief spoke up as they came close to the open hangar bay.

The Booster Frames kept going until they finally entered the hangar. The Spartans didn't even bother that much with braking and instead jumped off their transports. Multiple imperials who were inside cried out as the Booster Frames crashed into them or the walls, creating three large explosions and starting a fire. One had even smashed through two TIE fighters and ignited a fuel line.

Chief activated a bubble shield around him and the rest of the team as they got up from the ground. As the smoke cleared they could see the dozens of storm troopers and TIE pilots surrounding them with blasters pointed at their protective dome.

"I guess they don't know they're dead yet." Kelly said as she hefted the shotgun in her hands while two SMGs were strapped to her thighs.

"Looks like it." Fred commented.

He brandished his DMR and patted the combat knife on his waist. Linda didn't say anything but pulled out her own customized sniper rifle; Nornfang. Chief carried a simple assault rifle and a pistol while multiples grenades were attached to his belt.

"Blue Team," He said as they took their battle stances. "begin phase two of the plan. Kill anyone in your path."

* * *

 **Let me know what you thought of the Vader/Palpatine dynamic. The chapter in which I had him and Vader converse with other imperials was a bit unsatisfactory for me. I find Palpatine to be a difficult character. I can't just go "Unlimited powah!" or "I am the senate!" with him, he is so cunning and always one step ahead of you while toying with you. I really tried to put in that relationship between master and apprentice there along with this story's Vader has to think about Luke. Vader's tragic backstory with Padme and then combined with his discovery of Luke has always been one of the reasons why Vader is my favorite Sith.**

 **Until next time.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I. Am. Back!**

 **Important note!: I've finally found the time again to write, at last. Sorry for such the long hiatus but college just took up all of my time. I also lost a bit of interest in writing because Halo's been rather lacking in new content but I'm glad to see we're finally getting that TV series and the new Halo game. Maybe that'll motivate me more to write.**

 **Also!**

 **I've decided to write another story to get some variety. As much as I love writing this story it has become a bit mundane for me. The new story will be a crossover, again, between Star Wars, again, and Mass Effect. If there are any people out there who love both franchises, you can take a look if you want. It's set during ME2 and the Clone Wars, and will continue into the ME3 events.**

* * *

 **Imperial space station**

 **Lower level**

 **Hangar D-12**

"Don't let them through!" A storm trooper yelled loudly as a large fire raged on inside the hangar.

"What do you think we've been trying to do?!" A frustrated TIE pilot yelled back. "These guys aren't human!"

The pilot fired a few more shots with his pistol while the trooper did the same with a blaster rifle. The third member of their ragtag group that had been formed during the fight was crouching next to a door panel, black gloves fiddling with the wiring inside, as the pale light of the lamps seemed to be absorbed by the black helmet.

"I've done it, the door is sealed." The technician said proudly.

"Great. Now we're locked up inside with these monsters." The pilot commented sourly.

"It's that or have them get further ahead." The trooper replied, resigned to his fate.

The despair felt by the TIE pilot was shared by most of the imperial personnel inside the damaged hangar. They had been simply taking care of their duties until small UNSC starfighters had crashed inside, knocking over people and crates plus destroying TIE fighters which caused the fires that were burning on all around them. It was pure madness, the heat of the flames and the ravaged sight along with the intense firefight that took place to repel the boarders.

No one was spared by the UNSC super soldiers, men and women who were literally designed to kill in over a hundred ways. The mechanics weren't trained for this but for repairing electronics. The pilots weren't trained for this but for flying a TIE fighter. The storm troopers weren't trained for this but for fighting normal humans. No one in the nearby vicinity had any chances at beating the death machines in MJOLNIR armor.

Kelly was sprinting through the storm trooper ranks, shooting targets left and right with her SMGs. The troopers were too slow to stop her and ultimately fell as they were riddled with bullets. Her speed amazed and terrified the imperials at the same time. There were aliens back home who were fast as well but this was inhuman. The troopers were starting to think that these Spartans were some sort of advanced cyborgs or even droids.

"Chief, I've found an exit." Fred reported to their team leader while simultaneously hitting a TIE pilot with his rifle. "There's a control room above us with a glass window. We can use that ramp to get in."

"Understood. Linda and Kelly, clear us a path." The legendary Spartan ordered.

The Master Chief was currently gunning down two squads of storm troopers with his assault rifle. His barrel flared as he pulled the trigger, round after round spitting out, trooper after trooper dying. He was methodical, efficient and most of all deadly in his work. Every shot was a precise one that claimed another life. The storm troopers were helpless against him as he killed more enemies that stood between him and his objective.

"I've got you covered." Linda spoke up from her own position.

Hanging from the ceiling was a standard ramp that served as a way for the TIE pilots to get in their starfighters. These ramps had clamps which held the imperial spacecraft when not being used, and had walkways for the suit-clad men and women to get to their TIE fighters. Now there were no pilots rushing to get in the air but instead dozens of storm troopers that were shooting at the Spartans from above. A rain of red blaster bolts was descending upon the super soldiers from that same ramp.

Confident that her shields and her fellow Spartans would protect her, Kelly quickly got to work. She ran past a dazed pair of technicians, putting a bullet in each one without even looking back, and reached the ladder that would allow her to get onto the ramp. Her move did not go unnoticed by the troopers but no one was able to do anything about it.

Linda was sniping them without any mercy. Her modified rifle, Nornfang, was even capable of shooting through their small cover of metal plates. She would fire in rapid succession and still manage to make every shot count. A trooper mustered up the courage to aim at the nimble Spartan that was making her way to their position, a split second after he rose up he found himself without a head. The broken and bloodied helmet rolled over the edge of the ramp and fell into the flames below.

Because of the excellent cover that Linda provided, Kelly had no difficulty in getting up on the ramp. She had switched her SMGs for her shotgun and aimed it down the narrow walkway. It led her to her target but was blocked by at least a squad of storm troopers who were already starting to notice her presence. Her mind sped up, her foes starting to get sluggish to her vision and the sounds of battle around her became muted. For her, everything was in slow motion.

The fastest Spartan to have ever been created sprinted forward at such a high speed that it took the storm troopers off-guard. This proved to be their undoing since their hesitation only increased Kelly's chances of success. The first shotgun slug she fired slammed into the nearest trooper and knocked him back into another one. She pulled back the pump to reload before firing another shell at a third trooper. The splinters of the first one's white plastoid armor were still in the air, for Kelly they were only just about to fall, at a speed of descending feathers. Now she was getting closer to them, only an arm's reach away. She could faintly hear the imperial in the back curse, the word stretched out as if it was a broken record.

Kelly grabbed the knocked down trooper and hurled him at the rest which such a velocity that his helmet slipped off. She aimed her shotgun and fired another shell, this time killing two of them in only one shot. There were only three living troopers left now. Her cold blue eyes were focused on them and the glass window at the end of the ramp. This time she didn't reload and simply swung the shotgun like a bat at the imperial who was closest to her. The improvised melee weapon struck the trooper with enough force to partially break his helmet and throw him off the ramp. But she didn't stop there. She lowered herself and pressed her shoulder into another one's stomach. Using her momentum she rose once more which threw the trooper high in the air. By the time he would crash into the ground below she would be already on her way.

Her ears picked up the end of the last one's curse word which was followed up by the whine of a blaster rifle. She saw the red energy bolt coming for her, it's light reflecting off the trooper's shiny white armor. Kelly leaned to the left but kept herself stabilized so she wouldn't fall. The blaster bolt soon flew over her, missing her faceplate by mere inches, the incredible heat of the bolt still managing to affect her. Then it passed and she was gone again. The last trooper never stood a chance against her.

By the time the airborne trooper had crashed, she had already made the jump and breached the control room. Glass shards covered the floor and her armor but it was not even a nuisance for her. Kelly walked towards the nearest control panel while the glass shattered beneath her armored feet.

"I'm in." She announced over the team's comm channel. "Starting the hack now."

Kelly retrieved a data crystal chip from her armor's pouches and used the tools she had been given to insert it into imperial machinery. Once the link was established she used her MJOLNIR's system to link up and gain full access. Kelly quickly sought for the information she needed so they could get to their objective.

"According to this map we need to get deeper into the station to get to their datacenter." Kelly reported. "It's protected by several blast doors, sentry turrets and we need to go through numerous guards."

"Copy that." Chief replied. "Can you open us a path?"

"Negative. They've hotwired the doors."

"Then we make a path." Fred declared.

The other male member of Blue Team gazed at a means to get the blast doors open; an intact TIE bomber. Fred placed his DMR on his back and began running towards the imperial spacecraft while dodging blaster bolts left and right. He even had to evade an exploding grenade but he still managed to remain unharmed.

As for the Chief, he became aware of what Fred was about to do. He focused his attention on the storm troopers that were trying to get to his fellow Spartan and possibly stop him. The Spartan II aimed his rifle and fired, killing troopers but mostly just keeping them distracted. The amount of blaster bolts that were headed Fred's way lessened considerably once Chief was on the job.

Fred came closer to the intact TIE bomber but before he could even get to the hatch he was stopped by an incoming rocket. He rolled away, stopped right behind a few crates and shielded himself from the blast. His radar pinged and showed multiple contacts nearing him.

"Quickly, before he recovers!" A trooper yelled as a full squad neared the crates, assuming that the Spartan had been caught in the blast.

Suddenly the UNSC super soldier jumped over his cover with his knife unsheathed, the blade shining in the hangar's light. Fred was fast enough to get to his first victim before the troopers could even fire. His weapon struck fast and hard, killing the storm trooper in one swift blow to the throat. He moved on and spun around the blaster bolts of his enemies with ease and grace like a professional dancer. However, his dance was deadly and lethal for his dance partners.

The troopers kept on firing but their shots missed while Fred's blows were precise. He cut through one's armor where it didn't cover the bodysuit beneath and sliced the man's abdomen open. Blood splattered all over the black floor while the trooper lost consciousness. Fred's senses flared, urging him to react to an unseen danger. He grabbed the hand holding a vibroknife behind him and twisted it hard. The Spartan could hear the woman cry out in pain but he paid no attention to it and instead threw her away with enough force that she crashed with a broken neck. A blaster bolt whizzed past him which he dodged and returned the favor by throwing the vibroknife he had retrieved from his previous assailant. It spun in the air before firmly lodging itself into a trooper's chest.

Fred was about to deal with the last troopers but before he could, they all dropped dead with bullet holes in their helmeted heads. Without looking he knew it was Linda's work. The shots were too accurate to belong to anyone else.

"Better get moving." He heard the sniper say through his commlink.

"Understood." He answered with a small wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Fred quickly opened the hatch of the bomber and crawled into the pilot seat. It didn't take long for him to figure out how to activate the imperial war machine, the lights turned on and the targeting computers came online. Fred pulled at the steering controls and felt the bomber rise up. Through the eyeball cockpit he could see the imperials stare in confusion at the vehicle. Without delay he pulled the triggers and saw the familiar green energy bolts leave the bomber's front guns.

"Agh!" A trooper yelled as he was blown away by Fred.

"Why is it firing at us?!" A TIE pilot asked aloud in pure confusion and disbelief.

"It's not one of ours. Blast it!" A sergeant angrily.

Multiple troopers began to converge on the hijacked bomber but their weapons didn't do much against the bomber's thick armor. Fred kept on firing at them while slowly steering to the side. The imperial soldiers had to duck, dodge or roll away to evade his blaster cannon. After a few seconds of taking shots at the storm troopers he saw his true target; the large blast door. Fred looked down at the controls and loaded the bomber's heavy ordinance. With one push of a button he launched a single proton torpedo at the door, completely obliterating it and creating a large shockwave that shook the entire deck. Any nearby people were either incinerated or thrown away by the blast.

"I've got our pathway." Fred said to his fellow Spartans, feeling quite satisfied by his performance.

"Blue Team, form up." Chief ordered.

His three teammates quickly moved back to his position, giving the troopers time to regroup and form a last line of defense. The imperials were almost beaten but most importantly they were scared. Never before had they faced opponents such as these Spartans. All the death and destruction they caused was intimidating the storm troopers.

"Everyone ready?" Chief asked once they were reunited.

On one side there were over a dozen of storm troopers, TIE pilots and technicians who were putting up a last stand to prevent their foes from moving deeper into the space station. On the other side there were only four Spartans who had yet to sustain any injury of sorts. They were still alive while numerous imperials were lying dead on the cold durasteel floor or burned to a crisp by the spreading fire.

"We're ready to go." Fred said for all of them.

"First up is a long corridor that leads deeper into the station. At the end is an elevator that will take us to our objective." Kelly informed them.

"Alright, Blue Team, move out." Chief ordered.

* * *

 **Rahnelo**

 **Chasm of the elders**

 **Vehicle depot**

Down the southern hemisphere of the planet Rahnelo, lush forests and sandy plains made up most of the terrain. Rahnelo was a beautiful planet with a diverse climate while the locals lived a good life. The Sangheili who called the frontier planet home had been loyal servants of the Covenant before its violent fall, yet now they had shunned the small remainders of a once great empire. Instead they had pledged their allegiance to the Swords of Sanghelios and its leader; the Arbiter.

Many were still discontent with how the Arbiter had changed their ways but these were mostly the elderly and fanatics or the foolish youth. Change had been necessary to survive the betrayal of the old Covenant. These Sangheili either begrudgingly accepted the new ways or left to join factions such as the Storm Covenant of Jul 'Mdama. However, Rahnelo was a mostly peaceful world where many Sangheili accepted the Arbiter's rule and lived in prosperity.

Tepo 'Savamai sourly remembered how that changed.

Tepo had been a farmer, a job that was frowned upon by most because it did not involve much honor such as the way of the sword. He had never cared much for fighting. He rather enjoyed nature and liked to read the old books that the loremasters kept. It wasn't the behavior of a warrior which led to the other males ridiculing him. Tepo never let it get to him, he simply ignored their words and continued his peaceful life.

But now their planet was under siege.

It had begun with an imperial fleet, a human at that, appearing above their world. They were aware of who these invaders were thanks to the Arbiter's warning but that still did not calm the Sangheili down. Many were suspicious and distrustful towards the humans they had fought before because of the simple fact that it were humans who were shedding blood on their soil.

Before any true invasion could commence, a fleet of the Arbiter had shown up and had engaged the imperial invaders. It was a great sorrow to learn that they had been defeated in space but that only encouraged the proud Sangheili warriors on the ground to fight harder. However, Rahnelo wasn't a fortified world but a frontier. There were keeps and bastions along with a local militia but they had no serious defenses such as dedicated anti-air emplacements. Most of their defenses were outdated and could be traced back to the old days of the Covenant. It was a great blessing for them that the Arbiter's fleet had sent down ground forces with enough equipment and supplies to put up a decent fight.

Tepo remembered seeing the invaders descend from the sky and barraging them with energy bolts, similar to their own plasma technology but still different. He was lucky he had been traveling on the road when the bombardment began. An entire village had been utterly demolished by aerial bombardment before the Sangheili could deploy their own fighters. Then more of the hostile ground forces had landed in massive numbers to commence their sieges of all the major keeps.

The young Sangheili hated to admit it but the situation looked bleak. Days had passed and they had lost so much, including some of their keeps even though there were still a small amount of them resisting the imperial invaders. Most of their losses could be blamed on the fact that the imperials ruled the sky and orbit. The Sangheili on the other hand had lost almost every air vehicle in the first days of the siege. Even their ground forces took such a beating that they were forced to either retreat into the northern mountains or into the southern forests and chasms.

And Tepo was amongst them. Once the fighting had broken out he had volunteered himself for the militia which had given him a plasma rifle and pistol. Even though he was a farmer, it was custom for all Sangheili males to receive combat training at a very young age. Tepo knew how to use his weapons and how to kill his foes which came in handy when wildlife visited his farm. He had fought to defend a village when a general order for retreat had been given by a field marshal. It had left a bitter taste in many Sangheili, retreat was shameful and dishonorable, but their new ways told them that this was the right decision.

Now they had put up camp in the chasm of elders, an old burial site with ruins that ran deep into the ground. Supplies were stored all over the camp while their vehicles had been orderly parked, even the few Phantoms and Banshees they had left, and the wounded had been carried into the ruins.

Tepo was sitting next to a Wraith and basked in the sun, enjoying the warmth on his leather skin, all the while he read one of the books he had been able to save. It depicted a story of a once mighty kaidon who had defended his keep from an army that outnumbered his. The Sangheili lord had cleverly lured his foes into a ravine before burying them all by causing a landslide. With only one blow he had saved his people from the hostile kaidons, his tale written down and passed on to the younger generations such as Tepo.

"What'ya reading?" A high-pitched voice came from his Tepo's left.

The Sangheili looked away from his book and saw an Unggoy standing next to him, watching him in curiosity. While very rare, some Unggoy had been allowed to stay with their Sangheili masters. After the great war most of the Sangheili people realized that there were very little craftsmen and merchants. Instead that job had always been left to the females or the Unggoy. With the Arbiter's new reign, many Unggoy were now employed as workers in exchange for homes and other services such as protection. The Sangheili weren't happy with it but they could tolerate it enough since it was the Unggoy who helped them live.

Therefore when the invasion had begun, many Unggoy had been reintroduced to the militia. At least now they weren't just used for cannon fodder but more as a supporting role such as drivers or gunners. Tepo was sure that he had even seen an Unggoy medic a while ago. Treating wounds was seen as dishonorable but at the moment that was the least of their worries.

"It is a tale about a mighty kaidon who used his cunning mind to defeat an entire army in one blow." Tepo replied.

Unlike other Sangheili, he did not look down upon the smaller lifeform. When he had worked on his farm he had had help from five other Unggoy who each had played a big role in their work. He knew that the small creatures could be a big help if treated right.

"Oh, nice story!" The Unggoy said enthusiastically. "Kluk likes stories."

"That is good to hear, Kluk." Tepo replied appreciatingly. "I am Tepo 'Savamai. I drive this Wraith."

"Kluk knows, Kluk was sent to report to you. Your new gunner, at your service." The cheerful Grunt said.

Tepo nodded in understanding. He had been told he would get a replacement for his previous gunner. The unfortunate Sangheili had received a blaster bolt to the head, courtesy of the empire's snipers. He didn't expect his newest addition to be an Unggoy but saw no problem with it.

"If you like literature then we'll be sure to get along well. Welcome, little friend." Tepo said kindly which made Kluk beam in response.

The Unggoy were still being discriminated against because of their small size and reputation as cowards on the battlefield. Even now they were belittled, so it was no surprise to Tepo that the Unggoy gunner quickly began liking him because of his warm welcome.

"Ha, readers don't belong in this camp. Only true warriors."

Tepo and Kluk saw another Sangheili glaring at them with crossed arms over his broad chest. The armor that this particular Sangheili wore was that of a ranger. This one had a mark emblazed on it which identified the warrior as a part of the Arbiter's military.

"Reading important and fun though." Kluk pointed out happily.

"Shut your mouth, _Unggoy_." The ranger snarled and threateningly took a step forward.

Kluk let out a whimper and backed off in fear. Tepo frowned and stood up, blocking the way between the aggressive soldier and the smaller lifeform.

"Leave him alone." Tepo said sternly.

"You're standing up for this little pest? Are you really that shameful?" The ranger scowled condescendingly at the Wraith driver.

"There is no shame in defending one's honor, especially when being attacked by someone who doesn't see the point in reading." Tepo retorted.

The two Sangheili faced off against each other, each one glaring at the other. Tepo might not have known Kluk for a long time, not even ten minutes, but the little Unggoy was a pleasant change compared to the depressive moods of others. Finding someone who enjoyed a good book was quite hard too.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tepo heard someone to their left demand.

A Sangheili Ultra walked over to them with a pack of rangers in tow, his strides confident and his armor battle-scarred. Tepo instantly knew this was a warrior who had seen much combat. The ranger in front of him seemed to know the Ultra as well since he quickly lowered his head in respect.

"Apologies, 'Zunad." The ranger spoke respectfully. "I was simply having a debate with this driver."

"More like harassing him." 'Zunad scowled. "This camp cannot use that, so calm down, both of you. Get back to the depot with your brothers, Krinas, I want you all armed for our next raid."

"Of course." Krinas grimaced and gave Tepo one more glare before walking away with the other rangers.

The Ultra then started to move as well but stopped when his sight landed on the book that Tepo had been reading. 'Zunad came closer and stretched his hand out expectantly. Tepo hesitated for a brief moment but reluctantly handed over the book.

"Mhm." The officer hummed, the noise vibrating in his throat. He ran a talon over the worn leather of the book before handing it over to Tepo once more. "An interesting choice of lecture. What is your name and status driver?"

"Tepo 'Savamai, proud farmer of the keep of kaidon 'Savamee." Tepo answered proudly.

"I remember 'Savamee. A wise kaidon, one that promotes the writings of our people. I see that his teachings are still being passed on. How is he?" 'Zunad questioned, arching a non-existent eyebrow at the farmer.

Tepo lowered his head mournfully, "Dead. He died with honor defending the keep against the invaders. It was his sacrifice that allowed many to retreat and regroup."

"He faced his death with honor indeed." 'Zunad agreed and bowed his head respectfully for the fallen kaidon. "Keep fulfilling his teachings, Tepo 'Savamai. It does this old Sangheili good to see that the youth can overcome our old views on the world. We lack farmers, lack the passion of literature and certainly lack patience with dealing with others such as the Unggoy that have decided to help us learn how to provide for ourselves."

Tepo and Kluk both blinked at the elder Sangheili warrior. They hadn't expected him to be so kind and wise. 'Zunad chuckled at their confused faces which prompted them to show their appreciation. Kluk gave his own way of bowing while Tepo saluted the Ultra by placing a fist on his chest.

"Thank you for your wise words, Ultra 'Zunad." Tepo said reverently.

"Of course. As you were." 'Zunad told them goodbye and moved along.

"I like him!" Kluk blurted out with a wide grin.

"A good man indeed." Tepo agreed before glancing at the Wraith. "How about I show you your post?"

* * *

 **Rahnelo**

 **Chasm of the elders**

 **Eastern ridge**

Meanwhile, the scouts patrolling the perimeter of the chasm were doing their usual routes. In order to keep the camp safe from an enemy attack there were several groups of lookouts that kept an eye on the rocky plains where the day was hot and the night was cold. Insects crawled over the dusty rocks, all of them miniscule when compared to the proud Sangheili warriors that guarded the encampment. These groups consisted out of Sangheili Majors who led two other Minors along with several Unggoy. They traversed the uneven terrain that surrounded the large chasm as they kept an eye out for any intruders.

Sometimes they would come across a wild animal that smelt prey, other times they would find nothing at all. Yet what mattered the most was looking out for imperial activity. A surprise attack would be difficult for the imperials but without any proper lookouts it would take some time for the Sangheili to realize that they were under attack. That's why it was so important to have a good organization of patrols.

A single patrol was making its way through the eastern ridge of the chasm. Only a few Sangheili were walking the rocky path while some Unggoy followed close behind. Their patrol had only just begun and this meant that the smaller soldiers had still enough energy to chatter with each other. The Sangheili mostly ignored them, they were either too focused on the job or just didn't care as to what the lower ranked soldiers were saying.

However, as time went on, the chatter suddenly died out. The Sangheili Minors sighed in relief, finally some peace and quiet instead of the constant blabbering of the Unggoy. The Major who was leading the patrol was equally relieved and kept on walking but halted when his ears picked up on a particular sound.

He turned around, his eyes widening as he saw dead Unggoy in the distance. They had been cut apart and blood was seeping out of the gashes or the dismembered limbs. It shocked him that they had all been killed without a single sound that could have alerted him.

His gaze drifted to the two Minors under his command, one of them dead on the ground with his arms sprawled all over the pace, while the other was on his knees. The Minor's eyes were wide in surprise as blood poured from the deep cut in his throat, his head still being held in place by his killer.

The dark grey droid simply stared back at the Major. Its expressionless face seemingly glared at him.

"You-"

Any other words that the Major was about to say were silenced when a sword found its way straight up his mouth. It cut one of his mandibles off before piercing the skull and going straight through it, all the way until it stuck out of the top. The Major's eyes lost all signs of life as they rolled back into the head. His killer, another commando droid, released the corpse and let it slump to the ground.

More commando droids gathered around the lifeless bodies while blood began staining the soil. Right next to the Major's corpse, a humanoid decloaked, revealing a trooper in black armor who wore also a black pauldron over his shoulder. More shadow trooper began appearing out of thin air.

"Targets neutralized." One of the troopers reported after scanning the area.

"Secure the perimeter." The officer replied before turning to his superior. "Sir, the path has been cleared."

The man's commanding officer who also wore dark clothing silently inspected the Sangheili's corpse. He wore dark armor with dark cloths and an equally dark helmet which had a red visor. More figures followed this man who were dressed in the same armor yet had the red variant which was utilized more. They all had force pikes with them yet also had an array of weaponry such as powerful blaster rifles and pistols. The red guards, commonly known as the emperor's royal guard, were a sight to behold. Yet the shadow trooper commander had never before seen the shadow guard or heard of it.

"Prepare yourselves for the attack." The shadow guard eventually said in an emotionless voice.

Slightly creeped out but compliant, the shadow trooper gave a quick salute before he went over to check up on his men. The shadow guard tore his gaze away from the Elite and activated his holocommunicator. Within seconds the blue hologram of grand admiral Thrawn appeared before him.

After the initial confrontation with the Sangheili people, Thrawn had pleaded his case to the emperor himself that the royal guards would be a tremendous help in dealing with the Sangheili. The alien species had many swordsmen who were extremely skilled with their plasma swords. Thrawn had argued that in order to combat these people he would need equally skilled close combat fighters. The empire had riot control troopers who either used stun batons or electrostaffs but none were as good as the physically superior Sangheili.

The emperor had agreed with him and had assigned his shadow guard, only known as operative Z, to aid him in his campaign against the Swords of Sanghelios. Luckily for him, the shadow guard and his cohorts had already been close by since they were under the command of admiral Monatt, the admiral who oversaw most of the campaigns. After a simple holocall he had received the royal guards along with several additional battalions of battle droids he could use as cannon fodder. The droids proved to be good instruments to test the Sangheili. Droid commandos were also a bonus as were the magnaguards since they possessed some skill in melee combat that the storm troopers obviously lacked. Thrawn wasn't so sure about the construction of an imperial droid army but as long as they proved to be useful then he would have no complaints.

"Operative Z, have you completed phase one of the operation?" Thrawn asked the guard in his calm manner, not hinting at any form of emotion.

"Yes, grand admiral. We are about to infiltrate the Sangheili camp." The shadow guard replied.

"Good." Thrawn said. "I shall commence the second phase then. Utilize your opportunity to deal with their leadership, any other targets are secondary."

"It will be done." Z answered compliantly.

The hologram faded away as the grand admiral terminated the transmission. The shadow guard pocketed the holocommunicator away and pointed his lightsaber pike at the path up ahead. Droids, troopers and royal guard alike began their mission as they went deeper into Sangheili territory.

* * *

 **Rahnelo**

 **Chasm of the elders**

 **Vehicle depot**

Tepo didn't know what was happening, but the cries of anger that his fellow Sangheili bellowed was enough to put him on edge. He sprang up alarmed, almost dropping his book on the ground. The tank driver saw multiple warriors move around with weapons in hand while some began herding the Unggoy soldiers. It confused Tepo but a mobilization could only mean two things.

Either they were mobilizing to launch an attack but that was simply illogical. If that were true then the field marshal would have spread the word. Besides, last thing he heard was that they were still looking for other survivors to link up with.

That only left the possibility of an enemy attack. Judging by the roars of his brethren and sisters, that was the case.

"Warriors!" The field marshal announced over the PA system that they had set up all over the camp, his voice sounding urgent but determined. "The imperial filth has found us at last. Rally to the northern pass and ready yourselves. We shall not allow these invaders to take one more inch of Sangheili soil, not when we still breathe and have the strength within us to vanquish their evil. Make them pay for their sins! For Sanghelios!"

The surrounding Sangheili roared their approval and bloodlust, Tepo joining their chorus. Kluk squealed excitedly like his fellow Unggoy did as they too announced their defiance. Every single soldier, driver and pilot ran towards his or her post. A battle was on the horizon, promising death and bloodshed.

"Hop on." Tepo barked at Kluk. "We'll move out immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Kluk replied loudly, his shrill voice somewhat annoying.

Before Tepo even moved towards the tank's driver's seat, he picked up his worn book first. His large hand clasped around the book's cover as he put it back in his armor's pouch. Once it was secured he climbed on top of the Wraith, got inside and closed the hatch. He turned on the tank's engine and made sure everything was working properly. Tepo had done a number of checks before but he was the type of Sangheili that rather went into battle safely instead of charging in like some of the more hotheaded Sangheili did.

Satisfied with what he saw, Tepo drove the Sangheili tank forward towards the ravine pass that'd lead them to where the imperials were coming from. He had to be careful not to hit anything or anyone but it was no problem. A Wraith was indeed bulky but when it came to speed it was rather pathetic. Unless he'd boost up he wouldn't actually hurt anyone, as long as he kept his eyes on the road of course. Tepo saw a trio of Sangheili Minors who were obviously headed towards the battle as well run past his tank. All of them were carrying plasma rifles, one of them even carrying a fuel rod cannon on his back.

The Wraith moved along the road of sand and stone as they eventually exited the chasm. They were now on higher terrain but had the natural cover of the rocks that dotted the landscape to provide defense. It also made perfect terrain for snipers and plasma turrets. Taking a page out of the humans' book, the Swords of Sanghelios had set up cover for their tanks as well. They had put extra thought in their defense and were ready to utilize it to the fullest extent.

Tepo finally drove the Wraith into position, setting up right next to a line of Sangheili warriors on the front line. He could now see what was in the distance or rather, how many imperials were coming for them. And by the Forerunners, they certainly didn't spare any men.

The Wraith's electronics allowed him to see far which in return enabled him to properly see what they were up against. Tepo saw multiple walkers, ranging from the smaller to even the bigger ones, along with dozens of tanks. Accompanying them were hundreds of soldiers, their white armor shining in the harsh sun of Rahnelo. All of them were marching in formation while the tanks moved along in tandem. It was as if an ugly grey and white mark had stained the beautiful sands of Tepo's home. It repulsed him, filling him with anger at the imperials who had invaded without provocation.

"All Wraiths, prepare to fire at my command. Prioritize their smaller vehicles and the troopers first." The officer in charge of the armored column commanded over the battle net.

Tepo instinctively began charging up the plasma cannon. His talons moved fluidly as he locked on to his target; an imperial scout walker. The Wraith's cannon warmed up as it prepared itself to fire a blob of plasma, the machine humming loudly. Tepo waited patiently for the sign to unleash hell alongside the other Wraiths.

Eventually the imperials came into range, and the signal was given.

"Fire!"

Not needed to be told twice, Tepo released his first shot. The powerful plasma mortar cannon of his Wraith roared loudly as a ball of blue plasma was launched. Along the whole front line multiple Wraiths fired as well, each one adding a plasma round to the first volley. The Sangheili defenders, including the Unggoy, watched the first strike with great interest.

The first to go was an AT-ST, a plasma round hitting the chassis of the walker head-on. Fire engulfed the vehicle and ignited the fuel it used, blowing the walker apart. More rounds impacted the imperial assault force as squads of storm troopers were obliterated, walkers were torn to pieces and lives were lost. A complete success.

Many Sangheili cheered at how the first blood had been spilt, imperial blood at that. Even Tepo cheered inside his tank at the sight of destroyed walkers. However, their cheering was cut short upon the whining sound of heavy blaster cannons. Apparently the AT-ATs were in range as well to commence their own barrage.

Bright red blaster bolts struck their defenses, stones shattering by the sheer destructive might of the AT-ATs heavy weaponry. Some of the broken stones even landed on top of unfortunate Sangheili warriors who were crushed underneath those boulders. Others were instantly killed as they were hit directly. The Wraiths responded in kind to avenge the fallen warriors, creating an exchange of long-range tank barrages.

"Steady yourselves!" An Ultra yelled at his troops. "Here they come!"

A vanguard of AT-STs made its approach, followed by ITTs that were packed with storm troopers. An entire mobilized strike force that would be the first to strike up close. The Sangheili brandished their rifles, launchers and other weapons as they waited for the enemy to come in range. The scout walkers didn't wait to begin firing, their blaster cannons already spitting out ruby bolts of energy.

"Keep your heads down." A Major instructed a group of Minors who were all conscripted.

These Sangheili were mostly merchants and workers, not warriors like most other Sangheili. With Rahnelo besieged by alien forces though, they were warriors now. They heeded the Major's words of wisdom and stayed in cover while blaster bolts flew over their heads. Plasma turrets quickly aimed at the imminent threat and opened up on them, their barrels barking with every shot of heated plasma.

Some Sangheili found opportunities to attack as well of which some carried fuel rod launchers. The green projectiles soared through the air and while some missed, some struck true. Two walkers were already bursting into flames while the rest carried on. Yet the attack did not go unpunished by the walkers. AT-STs had more than just a blaster cannon, a fact that the Sangheili soon realized. Missiles and grenades were launched from their weapon pods at the sides of the scout walkers' heads. Many of them caused havoc which made the Unggoy panic. Some grenades even fell behind cover and detonated, killing warriors in the blasts.

Tepo growled inside his Wraith. He had to do something or those walkers would inflict even more damage. The cannon of his tank was quickly aimed at the nearest scout walker and proceeded to fire a blob of plasma. It was a direct hit, the walker's average armor hardly withstanding the full impact of a Wraith's shell. Shrapnel flew everywhere, legs wobbled unsteadily and soon the AT-ST went down.

"Good shot." Kluk complimented through his comm.

The Sangheili driver smirked and moved on to the next target. Through the tank's scope he could see the ITTs stop and their passengers disembark. Hordes of storm troopers immediately charged the front line but they met hard resistance. The defending Sangheili roared battle cries as they popped out of cover and began gunning down every trooper in their sights with deadly precision. Bodies hit the sandy ground, their armor penetrated by plasma or needles. One Sangheili even threw a plasma grenade between some imperials, all of them perished in the blast after it went off.

Kluk didn't sit idle either. The Unggoy was busy firing nonstop at the attackers with the Wraith's turret, sending blue bolts their way. It worked perfectly against the wave of storm troopers and many other Wraiths' gunners joined in. A staggering amount of storm troopers were cut down mercilessly by the torrent of plasma bolts.

Tepo grunted slightly as a rocket hit close to the Wraith, "Kluk, focus on the ones that wield rocket launchers. This tank's armor is tough, but not invincible."

"Understood, sir!" Kluk replied loudly, barely heard over the sound of his plasma turret.

The attack by the imperials clearly didn't have much of an effect on their defense. Many troopers were already dead while their vehicles were destroyed yet the Sangheili warriors hadn't lost too many. Their shields and cover provided enough protection to hold the line. Whoever was leading this assault, Tepo didn't think much of them. So far he was unimpressed.

Outside of the comfort of his tank, multiple Sangheili warriors rushed to the frontline to deal with the storm troopers that had managed to reach the safety of the rocks. These men had to be dealt with before more arrived from the main force that was only a small distance away.

"Stay close." A Major barked at his squad. "Slay the invaders, for Sanghelios!"

"For Sanghelios!" The others replied simultaneously, their jaws wide open from shouting.

They quickly made way and approached their first targets, a group of frightened storm troopers. Some of them were even wounded. One had a broken leg while another was bleeding severely, a medic tending to him by applying bandages. No mercy was given by the Sangheili who instantly opened fire. Caught by surprise, the storm troopers tried to counter attack but they stood no chance. Sangheili had personal shields that could take at least some damage before failing while the imperials only had their armor.

The Major growled as he aimed his plasma rifle at a trooper and shot the man. Searing plasma ate away at the trooper's chest plate, proving to be fatal with him dying as a result. A yell from his side alerted the Major of a hostile presence, prompting him to roll away just in time for red energy bolts to hit the ground where he had been standing a second ago. He narrowed his eyes and fired once more, killing another storm trooper.

"These opponents are pathetic." A Minor scoffed, pushing a slain imperial away with his large foot.

"Then you will kill more of them. The others approach." His commanding officer said as he pointed at the large imperial assault force.

By now the others had gained some distance, not without its casualties of course, as the Wraith bombardment continued. Even an AT-AT had been destroyed. One of the Sangheili tanks had landed a lucky blow, hitting the neck that connected the head of the giant walker to its main body. This was a weak point because it wasn't as armored as the rest of the walker. It was now lying on the ground while flames licked away at the walker's head.

Yet that hadn't stopped the imperials from advancing. In fact, the AT-ATs now had an even better of view of the Sangheili defenders. Their blaster cannons roared to life as they began targeting Sangheili behind cover. This proved to be rather effective and resulted in many deaths for the defending force.

"Tank!" Kluk squealed in alarm.

A scowl formed on Tepo's leathery face as he saw an imperial hover tank approach. Its barrel was steadily firing at his position or rather the Sangheili warriors that stuck close to the Wraith. His hands glided over the controls as he aimed the cannon at the tank before firing a shot. Unfortunately it did not take down the tank, only breaking through its deflector shields and damaging the armor. The imperial hover tank quickly retaliated by firing an energy bolt of its own, hitting the Wraith on its side; a glancing blow. Tepo grinned and fired again, this time blowing the enemy vehicle to bits.

"Driver, more enemies are on approach. They intend to take this path." Tepo heard a warrior say through the battle net.

"I understand, I shall focus on their armored units. Keep them away from the Wraith." He replied, scanning for any other tanks.

The Minor nodded and gestured to his Unggoy underlings, "Take positions and prepare to be besieged."

The Sangheili and Unggoy soldiers took positions behind natural or deployed cover and waited for the storm troopers to charge. They even had a plasma turret positioned above them that was manned by an energetic Unggoy. The waiting didn't take long at all. In less than a minute there were already dozens of storm troopers on approach. Some of them even specialized troops such as heavy troopers and a flame trooper. To support the regular infantry, the imperials were also coming with some of their armor, a duo of AT-STs and a single AT-DP.

The forward troopers then ran forward while yelling loudly, "Charge!"

"Hold them off!" The Major leading the defense ordered defiantly, baring his fangs.

Blue, red and green energy bolts were all over the place as the two sides clashed on the battlefield. The Sangheili and Unggoy certainly didn't let up but neither did the imperials who had enough troops to throw at the defenders. The natives simply welcomed the challenge, all too happy to spill the blood of the invaders.

"Agh!" An Unggoy screeched as a bolt whizzed past his head, hitting the tank on his back.

It exploded violently, taking two other Unggoy with him. Their squad leader growled angrily and aimed his carbine at the offender; a scout trooper. The imperial trooper quickly died once one of the green bolts pierced through her helmet, shattering the glass and going straight through the head. Her body lost all functions and fell down. The Unggoy had been avenged but who else was left? The casualties were starting to pile up.

"We cannot keep this position." A Minor told his superior officer, firing his rifle at incoming hostiles while he himself was getting shot at. "We need air support, or heavy weaponry. There's too- aagh!"

He was cut short by the AT-DP, its cannon having hit him directly. His body basically exploded with pieces of armor and flesh coating the Major who stared in disbelief. That feeling turned into rage as he began firing at the walker. However, it was in vain as the walker already had its sights on the warrior. The driver quickly finished him off without any mercy.

This was happening all over the place. Waves of imperial troops being thrown at the Sangheili defenses, many of them dying as a result, yet it proved to wear down the Sangheili. They lacked the numbers that the empire possessed. A single Sangheili could easily take on a storm trooper but when facing such a large force of them it was simply too much to handle.

"Banshees!" A trooper called out to his allies, a gloved finger pointing at the sky.

Few Banshees, Spirits and Phantoms had been salvaged after the retreat but that did not mean that the Swords no longer had any. Like a storm they flew overhead, dropping green bombs and firing torrents of heavy plasma fire. Even a few dropships joined in on the frontlines, no longer in reserve to preserve them, instead they were now high in the air to unleash hell upon the imperials. The Phantoms' gunners were hard at work to thin out the horde of troopers, aiming their turrets at the densest groups of enemies.

Tepo felt hope again, knowing that their chances of success were higher now. He saw walkers explode and invaders perish at the hands of the Sangheili pilots. All of it made him feel better, knowing that the deaths of their warriors would not be forgotten.

With renewed vigor he launched another ball of plasma at the AT-DP. Multiple troopers scrambled to get away as the flaming wreckage of the walker stumbled, falling right on top of them. Tepo watched happily as the imperials were crushed. Any survivors were quickly gunned down by Kluk's plasma turret. Their bodies joined the others, all of them vanquished by the Swords.

"Tepo, walkers on our left!" His Unggoy companion warned him, panic in his voice.

A snarl formed on Tepo's face, his mandibles twitching in anger, as the two scout walkers began moving towards him. Their blaster cannons were already firing at a steady pace. Every bolt pounded against the Wraith's armor like a drum, loud and violent. Tepo turned the so he faced the walkers but then he saw them split up. A growl formed in the back of his throat as he was forced to choose. He aimed the cannon at one of the AT-STs and proceeded to destroy it. The walker's armor couldn't protect it against the plasma round, it burst apart without much resistance and exploded in a mix of blue and red fire.

Any form of triumph that Tepo might have felt was short-lived upon hearing the cries of Kluk and the explosion that occurred on the hull of the Wraith. He was immediately concerned about Kluk's state but he knew that he had bigger concerns at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to open the hatch and check up on his partner.

The walker was getting even closer, now hammering the Wraith with a barrage of blaster fire while the weapon pod on its head reloaded another rocket. Tepo charged up his own cannon and fired at the scout walker with a resulting boom as the Wraith discharged an orb of plasma. It was a direct hit, striking the AT-ST in the middle of its head, which tore it apart before igniting the imperial machine.

"Kluk?! Are you alright?" The Sangheili quickly asked once the coast was clear, worried for the Unggoy's life.

There was a bit of coughing but the unmistakable squeaky voice shortly answered, "Yes. Kluk is fine. That rocket hit close but only singed my face a bit. New war scars!"

Tepo burst out laughing at the Unggoy's reply. Apparently Kluk's cheerfulness was something that not even a rocket could destroy, a fresh perspective during an invasion. But he couldn't forget that he'd almost lost his gunner. Quite frankly it was a surprise that his tank hadn't been blown away by one of the larger walkers. No matter how much you looked at it, Tepo could clearly see that they were being overrun. The Sangheili didn't have the numbers to hold the line and skill could only get them so far.

A crashing Banshee to his left only reinforced his belief. The enemy had numerous ground vehicles that could engage the Sangheili's, a seemingly unlimited amount of troops to throw at them and now they had multiple squadrons of air vehicles as well. No, staying out here was suicide. It wouldn't give them a victory but if they took positions in the canyon then they'd probably have better odds. There was no way that that many enemies could all pile into the chasm. They'd be forced to go in smaller numbers.

"I'm falling back to the chasm." Tepo said through the comms, already turning the tank around. "Staying out here will spell certain doom for us, brothers. I suggest we hold them off there."

"Agreed." Someone replied.

"Are we just going to run?!" Another yelled outraged, a feeling that many shared.

"What other choice do we have?"

"I refuse!"

"It would be dishonorable."

"We need to fall back in order to fight them on our terms again."

In the end there was too much disagreement. They couldn't call command either, for some reason they only heard static when trying to use the long-range comms. With most officers dead after the initial assault the Sangheili were divided. Tepo didn't care. He wasn't going to die just because some of these warriors were worrying about their honor. The old ways were long gone.

He wasn't a warrior.

He was just a simple farmer who was looking out for a friend.

* * *

 **Orrichon system**

 **Sedra**

 **Sedra city**

Taylor Dreyer adjusted her jacket as a gust of wind blew in her face. The air was chilly this night, more so than yesterday. It was getting cold on Sedra and everyone was trying to warm up with extra sweaters and their central heating. Even now she could see the citizens of the capital walk around on the streets with warm clothes. Mittens, jackets, scarfs and hats to prevent the cold from harming them. Taylor opted to do the same so she'd blend right in, not that the cold wasn't a motive either.

But still, it had been a very conscious choice to blend in as much as she could with the people of Sedra. Taylor Dreyer wasn't one of the locals at all. Before coming to this colony she had spent as much as possible to learn the accent that the people here spoke. By the time that the prowler had arrived she had already been speaking it as if she was born here. Taylor was a covert operative, a spy, employed by none other than ONI.

ONI needed to know what was happening on Sedra. The colony world had been placed on ONI's list of possible rebel worlds due to the fact that most of its population hated the UEG. Sedra had survived the Human-Covenant war unscathed when it came to glassing but not on an economic scale. There had been an economic crisis which resulted in many jobs lost. People were still angry that the UEG hadn't provided any aid whatsoever. That and insurrectionist propaganda only fueled their disdain for the UEG and the UNSC.

This was dangerous and a possible threat in the eyes of ONI. Contrary to popular belief, the insurrectionists were still very much out there. They just didn't openly fight the UNSC like during the war. Now these rebels were doing spy games and other operations to destabilize the rule of the UEG and create anti-UNSC sentiment amongst the outer colonies.

But Taylor knew that the insurrectionists were doing more than just that. She had been briefed by no one else than Osman herself. ONI had suspicions that the insurrectionists were willingly working together with the galactic empire to advance their goals. However, when Osman had told Taylor that they had 'suspicions' she knew right there and then that they had more than that. This was simply to gain more intel on how these two factions were operating together and what their plans were. Such was the way of an ONI spy.

"Excuse me." Taylor said apologetically as she almost bumped into another pedestrian.

The man didn't seem to be offended and simple apologized as well before continuing his walk. Taylor couldn't afford to make a scene on the streets. Not even the slightest hint of a problem. Her cover needed to stay intact and getting involved in a minor dispute alone could jeopardize it.

After all, this planet might have escaped the Human-Covenant war but it certainly didn't evade this one.

Even now three imperial star destroyers hovered above the city, looming over it like a cloud of armored hull and guns. The occupation of Sedra had been a peaceful one which surprised Taylor. She knew that the imperials weren't lax in their conquest, beating down uprisings seemed to be a hobby of theirs. However, when a large fleet of imperial vessels had approached a somewhat defenseless Sedra, the planet's government had decided to negotiate rather than take up arms. What was even more surprising was that the empire had actually agreed. Not a single shot had been fired from a star destroyer. Instead, the leaders had come together and talked about what would happen.

This meant that the security on Sedra was a lot less tighter than on other occupied planets. Taylor had still come across the occasional patrol but from what she had observed this past week, the storm troopers weren't violent at all. In fact, they even went as far as to take up the role of a police force. There was no denying the obvious presence of an imperial leadership though. A large imperial facility had been built in the city, or rather a previous corporate owned skyscraper had been turned into one. It sported the imperial banner now along with its logo but there were also fortifications and a constant surveillance.

That tower was Taylor's target.

Her orders were rather clear on what she was supposed to do. She was to infiltrate the tower and make her way to the upper floors where according to their informants she would find the office of a certain captain Thomas McKinley. Apparently this man was part of the new colonial alliance and belonged to its intelligence section. Taylor would get into his office and download all available information on the joint operations between the empire and the insurrectionists, all to gain an immense advantage over ONI's foes.

"Vaz, you there?" Taylor quietly spoke into her hidden earpiece.

"I'm here. So is Mal." A heavy accent hinting at Russian descent replied.

Vasily Beloi and Malcolm Geffen. Two ODSTs who had been employed by ONI before right after the war with the Covenant. That was all Taylor knew about their record aside from their ODST activities which means that whatever they had done, no one was supposed to find out. She was fine with that, the less she knew the better and it would keep her out of an ONI prison.

"I'm almost there." Taylor said as she navigated her way through the streets.

It was strange to see how the people were going on with their daily lives while an alien force occupied their planet. Taylor knew that it would be a different story were it not for the insurrectionists and the fact that the imperials were in the end humans as well. That still baffled her mind though. Who would have thought that after a war with aliens that look nothing like you, you would fight another war only a few years later against aliens who were just like you.

Taylor moved even further into the shadows as two storm troopers walked along the sidewalk. Apparently people were okay with these soldiers walking around yet UNSC marines would be shunned openly. Oh, the irony. She acted as inconspicuous as possible, passing the two troopers safely. The ID she had in her pocket would fool any trooper out there but she would have to dodge any of those trashcan droids. According to their informant it would detect the falsified document and that was something Taylor couldn't afford.

Eventually she passed a crossing and made her way to a small café. The customers on the terrace were chatting in a carefree manner, almost as if there was no war raging out there amongst the stars. It disgusted Taylor just how much these people hated the UEG that they'd show no concern about all their fellow humans who were dying.

" _I can understand their anger for being left alone during their crisis but that doesn't justify any of this. They're collaborating with the enemy, even if some don't realize it. Maybe if they saw how it went on other colonies, maybe then they'd see it."_ Taylor thought to herself in spite.

She walked past a few tables and halted at one in the corner. There were two men sitting at the table while one more chair was left unoccupied. For such scarred men who had seen the worst parts of war, Vaz and Mal certainly blended into the civilian population. Perhaps it was their ODST charm.

Vaz had high cheekbones while the rest of his face had those typical Slavic facial features. The man had close-shaved hair and a scar that ran along the full length of his jaw. Mal on the other hand was quite pale. His features hinted at European descent, fortified by his British accent. The two helljumpers were tight and close friends. Taylor was apprehensive about having to work with them but they were actually nice people, not to mention effective when needed. Only Vaz's morals could somewhat clash with her ONI views, but that wouldn't jeopardize this mission or interfere with their teamwork.

"Look who finally showed up." Vaz spoke up as he sipped from his drink.

"I hope that's not alcohol for your sake." Taylor replied as she sat down. "Otherwise I'll have to report you for drinking on the job."

Vaz chuckled at her remark, "No alcohol. Pity though."

"So you're ready for this? We can't delay any longer." Taylor said but minded the tone of her voice.

The last thing she wanted was to get caught before their infiltration had even begun.

"We've got our gear." Mal said, pointing at the duffel sacks at their feet.

"And we've scouted for any changes in the patrols." Vaz added.

"Good." Their companion nodded. "Then it's time to get this started. Let's move."

No further words were exchanged, not that it was necessary. Their mission had officially begun. The three operatives moved away from the cozy café as they walked towards the large tower. Passing through the front gate was impossible and they knew it. Two imperial walkers were stationed there along with at least two squads of storm troopers that either stood guard at the door or patrolled the perimeter. Even the back gate was under heavy surveillance. An impenetrable security by all accounts.

However, the ONI operatives weren't going to get inside by entering the building like a normal person. No, their means of entering was a lot more risky and unorthodox.

Vaz casually looked around, observing the masses of colonists that roamed the streets. He would see the telltale white armor of a storm trooper once in a while which made his blood boil. It still angered him too that the imperials acted like they owned the place. What made it worse was that the citizens of Sedra allowed it.

"Down this alley." Mal spoke up lowly, careful so no one else would take notice.

The three of them quickly slipped into a small alleyway of a big apartment complex. It was as filthy as a dark alleyway in a city could be, littered with waste and trash, but they wouldn't be here for much longer. Vaz walked up to an emergency staircase and pulled down the ladder. The ODST flashed a grin at Taylor, gesturing for her in a gentleman-like manner to go ahead. All he got was a huff and an eyeroll as Taylor began climbing.

"Nice." Mal complimented dryly, patting his friend on the back before ascending as well.

"Always worth a shot." Vaz jested.

The climb lasted quite a while. They had many floors before they would reach their destination which was the roof of the apartment. Carrying the bags made it even harder but it wasn't anything that they couldn't handle. Taylor was an ONI field operative while Vaz and Mal were hardened ODSTs. The weight was nothing more than an annoyance.

Taylor looked up at the sky and found it to be a beautiful sight. She liked watching the stars, wondering what was out there. There had to be people out there who could be friendly instead of declaring war, she just knew it. But alas, the first aliens they encountered were set on genocide while the newest contacts were hellbent on conquest. It was sad to see, even now, as one of the star destroyers blocked her view from other stars.

"You know, this place isn't so bad. If you don't count the imps and innies." Mal spoke up, apparently in the mood for some slight conversation that Taylor was not.

"What gives you that idea?" Val asked from below him.

"Well, you don't have the feeling that a war is going on out here. No people dying. I could live in that world." The response was wistful, expressing a feeling of longing.

"How about we get rid of the insurrectionists and the imperials first. Then I'll buy you a drink." Val chuckled.

Taylor sighed audibly, "Do you two have to talk so much?"

"It's part of our charm." Vaz retorted all too happily.

She didn't even grace him with a response to that remark. Instead she simply kept on going up towards the roof. Taylor wanted to stay on track for this operation, time wasn't on their side. Their prowler was waiting just outside the city to pick them up and would leave this very night. There was a limited amount of time to get away and she didn't want to miss their ticket off of this planet.

Mal sighed as another cold breeze blew softly against his forehead, relishing how it felt on his face. He was an ODST and longed for action but things like these were worth it. Those small moments of peace and tranquility. He felt bad for all those soldiers on the front lines, dealing with the scorching heat of plasma burns, all the while he was out here where there was no fighting whatsoever. It felt wrong. Yet he still relished it as if it was a guilty pleasure of his.

"Hey Mal, I don't really like staring at your ass so could you please keep moving?"

Leave it to Vaz to ruin a moment like that. Mal rolled his eyes at the blatant comment and kept on climbing. They were getting close anyway, time to get started.

They finally arrived on the roof of the apartment complex, tired of having to walk all those stairs but not enough so they couldn't continue. Dealing with a few stairs like that compared to an orbital drop into enemy occupied territory was child's play. They wasted no time in setting up as they walked past the vents of the building and moved to the side that had a view on their target. Even from here you could see the imperial banner, telling everyone who was in command here, even with the puppet government in place.

"Let's hope ONI has some good gear." Vaz muttered as he opened one of the bags.

The ODST carefully pulled out their grappling hooks and the mini-launchers. Heavy gear was out of the question but these would do, ONI always supplied their operatives with the most efficient tools for their missions. Mal grabbed them and prepared the launchers for firing while Taylor observed the building in the distance with her binoculars.

She spotted the floor where they had to go rather easily. They had prepared for this beforehand and had found their entry point earlier this week. Once the cables were in place they would rappel down towards the tower's power server, their first objective for this night. Upon infiltration they would tinker a bit, just to make sure that they wouldn't run into problems. From there on they would make their way up to the top floor where McKinley's office was. Once the objective was secured they were to get to the roof where they would commandeer one of the shuttles that were always parked there. They had a plan, now just to execute it.

"Status on those ziplines?" Taylor asked as she put the binoculars down, having seen enough.

"Ready." Mal responded while holding up one of the launchers.

"Thanks." She said as she accepted the gadget before aiming it at the tower. "Remember, we have only one shot. Make it count."

"Oh, we can aim alright." Vaz quipped cockily.

"Three, two, one, go."

Taylor squeezed the trigger and watched as the hook shot away, joined by two other hooks attached to cables. The three grappling hooks travelled the whole distance before reaching the tower. They struck true and hit the targets successfully. The ONI operative tested her zipline and felt satisfaction as it appeared to be stable. Her ODST comrades tested theirs as well, both giving a thumbs up.

"That went well." Mal commented as he attached his end of the cable to a safe spot.

"Let's wait with making claims like those until we get to the other side and not fall to our deaths." Vaz grunted, holding up another bag.

He unzipped it and retrieved their weapons. The ODST held up two SMGs for the others who quickly retrieved the guns. This mission would require stealth, therefore all their guns were equipped with silencers so they wouldn't be detected. Vaz also distributed their M6C pistols as well, all of them silenced just like the SMGs. Taylor pocketed her guns before she walked over to her zipline. All she had to do now was attach herself to the cable.

"Everyone ready?" She asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Vaz muttered. "I really dislike heights."

"Coming from someone who falls out of the sky in a pod." Taylor retorted while smirking slightly, unable to resist the urge to have her own witty comment.

It made Vaz chuckle, "Looks like someone's learning. I'm set."

"Me too." Mal added.

"Move out then." Taylor said, mentally prepared for what was about to come.

The three operatives simultaneously jumped and went down the zipline, safely secured as they were held up by the cable. Taylor could feel the harsh wind push against her face, numbing it slightly with the cold. She was glad for the black cloth in front of her mouth and the black hat that she had put on. The wind was picking up which did her no favors. Taylor faintly heard Vaz and Mal's ziplines screech over the sound of their surroundings. She was happy once the tower wasn't that far anymore. As much as she loved time in the field, she was no fan of heights either.

Just as they were about to slam into the building, the small squad of operatives detached themselves and fell down on one of the tower's balconies. Some landed more graciously than the other but everyone made it in one piece without hurting themselves during the fall. Taylor immediately brought up her pistol as did the two ODSTs with their SMGs. They had successfully made it inside the tower, now it was only a matter of acquiring the intel and getting to the extraction point.

"Alright, Mal up point while Vaz covers our rear." Taylor said quietly.

Mal nodded and moved forward towards the glass door. He looked inside and saw no one in the vicinity. However, he did spot a camera in the corner which gave it a view on the general area around the elevator. Luckily for them they weren't anywhere near the mode of transportation.

"Coast's clear." He spoke up, silently moving forward.

The inside of the tower was just like it had been originally decorated and wasn't anything like imperial design. Whereas they would present grey colors and a typical bland design, the decorators had laid a wooden floor along with white walls while a hefty amount of furniture had been spread all over the place. Not surprising considering that it had been owned by a private company.

Mal didn't care much for that, only that they would run into trouble. The ODST kept himself close to the wall and out of sight of any passersby or the camera. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if someone sounded the alarm. It would probably end up in them running for their lives while a horde of storm troopers chased them down before eventually overwhelming them. Mal hated missions like these. Being thrown deep into enemy territory was basically the job of an ODST but normally he would be wearing his armor, not these outfits or the old-fashioned protection that ONI had supplied them with. He wasn't even wearing a damn helmet.

He stopped at the corner of the hallway, holding up his clenched fist to signal the others to do the same, before carefully looking around it. Satisfied that it was devoid of life, Mal waved his hand and moved forward again. Taylor followed him close behind as Vaz kept an eye on their backs.

Taylor kept her pistol firmly in her hand, finger close to the trigger so she could take down a target in only a moment's notice. She was completely calm now. Her ONI training kicked in and helped her steel her nerves as she wandered into dangerous territory. She was no stranger to killing, having done it many times now for ONI. Taylor was prepared to die for her organization but most importantly for the UEG and all of humanity. There were no illusions about grandeur of praise in her mind, she would never have it nor need it. This was how she operated. Just a cold calculative approach to achieve her objectives.

The hallway was still empty of life, something that both pleased and unnerved Taylor. From experience it told her that it could be a trap but there was no way that the imperials had seen them already. ONI was well aware that most imperials officers were sloppy and prone to make mistakes. Yet she had to remember that the enemy leader wasn't just some random officer, there was also a dangerous insurrectionist intelligence leader.

"Voices up ahead." Mal whispered to her, cautiously peering inside a room.

Apparently it was some sort of commons room. It wasn't large but not small either, with a table for personnel along with a small kitchen and closet. There were four storm troopers in total that occupied the room. Mal spotted three sitting at the table while the fourth one was busy searching for food inside the kitchen. None of them were wearing helmets which meant they were off-duty. Perfect.

"Four hostiles. Three at a table and one in the kitchen." Mal spoke up.

"Let's take them down." Taylor nodded, holding up her gun. "You take the guy in the kitchen, we'll take the other ones."

"Got it." She heard Mal whisper while Vaz moved beside her with his SMG raised.

She counted down and upon reaching the mark she quickly jumped into the doorframe along with her comrades. The storm troopers didn't even knew what was happening until it was too late. Vaz and Taylor had already opened fire before they even got to realize that they were under attack. Taylor's gun whined lowly twice, both shots taking down a storm trooper by hitting their heads. Blood poured out of the wounds as their eyes glassed over.

Vaz had aimed well too. His SMG quickly took down the third trooper, two bullets piercing his throat. The imperial soldier went slack and fell off his chair as he died quickly. Now all three of the storm troopers were dead before they could have even grabbed their rifles or their helmets.

As for the fourth trooper, Mal had been efficient as well. He had aimed his gun at the trooper and blown his head right open like an egg. Blood coated the fridge while the body slumped against it, the carton of juice falling out of its hands. All hostiles had been eliminated without any problems.

"Close the door and lock it." Taylor said. "Hiding the bodies will do us no good with all that blood that has been spilt."

Vaz nodded in compliance. He made sure to seal the door properly before giving the sign that they were ready to go. Once again it was Mal who took point followed by Taylor and his close friend. So far so good, hopefully it would go that smoothly for the rest of the operation as well.

"We should be getting close to the power room by now." Mal commented, peering down another hallway.

There were two troopers standing guard at the end of the hallway. Both were noticeably relaxed and most likely fed up with their boring patrol, Mal knew he would be. For a moment he thought they would have to go through them or even sneak past the troopers but luckily they didn't have to do anything. The storm troopers seemingly talked to each other about some topic as they began walking away. Mal quickly continued onwards.

"Hopefully we won't encounter too much resistance." Taylor muttered.

It was a bit eerie to hear just how quiet the place truly was. The ONI operative in her was paranoid about possible traps but she knew better. Imperials were arrogant, prideful in their might, which caused some major faults on the battlefield. Who was to say that it wouldn't be like that even here?

Vaz shook his head, "Where one imp is, there are at least a dozen more. It's like they breed like Grunts."

"I did not need that idea right now." Mal groaned, a disturbing image of two storm troopers in his mind.

"Just keep moving." Taylor sighed, exasperated at their behavior.

The next room they entered was much larger than any they had come across before. It had expensive couches, lavish decorations, paintings on the walls, chandeliers and many other objects of luxury and comfort. This had to be part of the penthouse, Taylor remembered reading that the former owner of the building had also lived here before the empire came. She also knew that their first target was at the end of the neatly cleaned room, past the small dining space where again a whole group of storm troopers were seated.

These guards also had their helmets off, Taylor noticed as she analyzed the situation. No helmets meant no night vision. That went rather well with the fact that the only source of light was a single lamp, one that hung from the ceiling in clear sight. Taylor nodded to herself, knowing that her plan would work.

"Guys, on my mark you'll turn on your flashlights and gun them all down. Do it fast and don't let them grab their guns." She whispered to her partners.

"Understood." Mal replied as he crawled forward.

Vaz joined him, sneaking behind the couches to get a better vantage point. Taylor waited for a few seconds until she was given the all clear before firing a single round. The lamp shattered easily, shards of glass flying everywhere while the device sparked slightly, as the light went out. Confused and surprised murmurs came from the storm troopers as they stood up. However, they were suddenly blinded by two bright lights before it all went wrong for them.

Mal and Vaz pulled the triggers, sending bullet after bullet towards the troopers. The imperials stood no chance whatsoever. They had been taken by surprise and were affectively blinded by the flashlights, unable to retaliate as they couldn't even see their own weapons. One by one they fell with fatal wounds that killed them immediately. By the time the two ODSTs were done, five bodies were laying on the floor, none of them moving any longer.

"Clear." Vaz spoke up, shattering the tense silence.

"Check the room." Taylor muttered as she walked over to one of the troopers to inspect the corpse.

She didn't find anything of use, no keys or communicators. These people had been nothing more than simple guards who had thought there was no serious threat. Taylor couldn't help but be grateful to the empire for at least employing reckless security guards. It made her infiltration a lot easier.

"There's no one else." Mal reported back to her.

She nodded in understanding, "Proceed then."

The three of them quickly left the slaughtered storm troopers behind and slipped into another corridor. It was much narrower than the previous ones they had come through, not to mention a lot darker as well. It didn't seem like any guards were present. Probably because they had been killed off only moments ago by Taylor's team.

It surprised her just how covert the helljumpers could be. She like many others knew of the ODSTs their infamous reputation. Sure, they were special forces, but in the end they were still jarheads and shock troopers to their core. Nothing like what an ONI infiltrator needed in order to successfully carry out covert operations. Hell, it shocked her that Vaz could actually be quiet for once. Taylor wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth but it still came as a surprise. A pleasant one though.

"Over here." Mal said once they reached an open door.

Taylor looked inside to see what Mal was getting at. Two storm troopers were sitting behind a terminal as they talked about random things, all the while a steady hum could be heard from the hardware that basically made up most of the room. This was definitely the power server. Now all they had to do was perform their little act of sabotage.

"Mal, you take the one on the right. I'll take the left one. Vaz, guard the door and warn us if someone is headed our way." Taylor swiftly ordered.

She and Mal snuck into the dimly lit room, unsheathed their knives and slowly got behind the two troopers. Aside from the lights coming from the devices there was nothing else to illuminate them which created a perfect cover of darkness. These troopers were as clueless as the ones they had come across before.

Mal nodded at her, showing he was ready. Taylor nodded back and counted down with her fingers. Once her countdown was completed she sprang up and stabbed her victim in his throat. Muffled groaning and spluttering came out of the trooper's helmet, its blank faceplate hiding its wearer's visage from Taylor. The imperial began to slump a bit before falling completely quiet and motionless. Taylor looked over to Mal and saw him pull out his knife out of his own target. Both troopers were officially silent.

"Alright, time to plant our bug." Taylor muttered as she pushed the corpse aside.

The ONI operative quickly took a small chip out of her pockets and began looking for an entry point. Her eyes skimmed over the terminal, finding a small port that she could use. Taylor inserted the bug before activating her TACPAD. Establishing the link was easy, there was next to no security and the bug was already inside the systems. All that was left to do was to make sure it would be fully uploaded.

"Any time now." Vaz muttered from his position at the doorframe, looking around the corner for any other guards.

"Almost done." Taylor whispered back, her eyes never leaving the screen. "Got it. I'm in full control of the power systems."

"Good. That means we can move to our next objective." Mal said relieved.

Taylor nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Rahnelo**

 **Chasm of the elders**

 **Ancient ruins**

SI-2481 narrowed his eyes behind his visor, trying to get a glimpse of what was up ahead. There were a couple of guards but most Sangheili had left for the battlefield. Their camp was now mostly deserted aside from the leaders and remaining soldiers. The shadow trooper commander, identified by the pauldron on his shoulder, leaned back into his cover after a few seconds to avoid getting spotted. His men and the droids were right beside him in the small crypt as they awaited orders.

So far their infiltration had been a complete success. The confusion and chaos caused by the frontal attack had made sure that the Sangheili would be focused on the imminent threat. That gave SI-2481's unit enough time to sneak deeper into the chasm, right up to the Sangheili command center. All that was left between them and the building carved into the walls was a plaza with some sort of terraces. Even now there were Elites and Grunts patrolling the perimeters. Getting through them wouldn't be easy.

"Sir, what is our next move?" A shadow trooper asked in a deep voice, his pitch-black helmet blending in with the shade.

"The only way forward is through those guards." SI-2481 said gruffly. "Our only hope is to strike fast and hard. Surprise is our main weapon here, once we lose it we will have a much harder time to get inside that old building."

The commander looked over his shoulder at the royal guards that were accompanying his troops, their unique armor causing them to stand out. He had no control over what the guards did whatsoever. For all he knew they might use him and his men as cannon fodder which would not end well. He could only hope for the best.

"Ready the others." He told his subordinate, his gaze still on the guards. "I'll see what our esteemed guests are going to do."

"Yes sir." The trooper replied, nodding his head.

SI-2481 quickly walked over to the shadow guard, trying his hardest not to show how unnerved he was. The last thing he wanted to happen was to piss off the men and women who protected the emperor himself. He came to halt at a respective distance and snapped to attention.

"Sir, our only way forward is through those sentries. Orders?" He asked formally.

The guard remained silent at first which made SI-2481 even more anxious than he already was. Something about the black armored man disturbed him. As if it was hard to breathe and his instincts yelled at him to get away from the person as fast as possible.

"Our objective is in reach." The shadow guard eventually spoke in an emotionless voice, as if he was a drone. "If there is no other way then you will take this one. Distract the enemy but leave their command staff to us."

"Per your orders." The commander replied almost immediately.

He wasn't going to stick around the mysterious guard any longer than he had to. SI-2481 turned around, walked away and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Operations like these were much easier without the unwanted baggage of secretive guests. At least they were part of the royal guard, they'd probably give those Sangheili a run for their money.

"Squad three and five, take the left. Two and three, take the right flank. Everyone else, move up through the middle." The commander instructed everyone, his voice steadfast as was his resolve. "Remember our motto."

"Serve the empire through the shadows." The shadow trooper recited simultaneously.

SI-2481 nodded in approval. "Move out."

One by one the imperial shadow troopers activated their cloaking devices as they began to exit the crypt. Using their stealth technology they'd have cover to move into a more preferred position to begin the attack. The various squads spread out over the courtyard, as did the commando droids who were equipped with the same technology for the occasion.

SI-2481 never thought he'd be serving with droids in his unit, yet the results couldn't be argued with. Under the right guidance they could be effective killing machines and excellent saboteurs. He also didn't need to think about their wellbeing. If they were to be discovered and needed extraction, it would be the droids that would hold off the enemy instead of his own men.

Quietly he sneaked through the ancient Sangheili grounds alongside his troopers. A shadow trooper's main strength was surprise which demanded stealth. Stealth demanded training. Training demanded discipline. SI-2481 and his men were disciplined, they were imperial special forces. Their purpose was to ambush the enemy when they least expected it. Therefore they had to be quiet and careful as they slowly came closer to the Sangheili sentries.

He had to admit, the Sangheili were certainly some of the most intimidating races out there. They could be as vicious as a wookie and had the strength to back it up. SI-2481 didn't want to fall victim to their razor-sharp teeth, they were nasty and lethal. The armor they wore also gave off the impression of tough warriors who were bred to do one thing; kill.

A lone Sangheili stood in front of him, a plasma rifle in his hands as the guard kept watch. The shadow trooper commander received pings from the rest of his forces which meant they were all in position as well. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He needed to be as calm as possible for this, no screw-ups were allowed. His hidden form slowly approached the Sangheili.

Now.

SI-2481 suddenly reached out and placed the muzzle of his blaster rifle into the open space of the alien's mouth. The guard's eyes widened as the cold weapon plowed through his four mandibles and past his shields. A single pull of the trigger and a blaster bolt fried the warrior's head, searing plasma tearing through flesh and bone.

All around him his shadow troopers revealed themselves and opened fire on the Sangheili who were completely taken off-guard.

"Spread out!" The commander ordered loudly to his troops. "Flank them and kill before they can kill you!"

The troopers and droids began pressing the attack as they engaged the Sangheili in the ancient courtyard. SI-2481 looked through his blaster's scope, seeing a Sangheili pop out his head from behind a broken pillar, and fired at the target. Red bolts of energy impacted against the old stone decoration but more of them stuck the Minor. He didn't go down at first thanks to his shield generator, yet it failed after two or three shots and broke down. The shadow trooper gunned the Sangheili down quickly.

Aside from the troopers, the commando droids did what their programming demanded from them. They jumped over their obstacles in amazing acrobatic maneuvers that left the Sangheili trying their hardest to hit them. However, the dodging didn't deter their ability to attack whatsoever. The droids fired their own blasters as they sprinted forward to the nearest opponents. A duo of Sangheili actually managed to put a commando droid down, hitting the machine in the head before it crashed, but the other droids were too fast. They had also unsheathed their vibroswords in order to strike them up close.

"Cowardly machine." One of the Minors grunted as he swatted a droid away by using his plasma rifle.

However, the droid didn't give up and in a surprising display of agility it regained its footing before quickly thrusting its sword. Unable to dodge or parry, the Sangheili warrior cried out as the blade pierced his stomach. He glared at the soulless optic sensors of the droid before falling down as a torrent of blood streamed out of his wound.

By now the Sangheili and few Unggoy present regained their bearings, trying to set up a proper defense in order to fend of the surprise assault. They put up positions in more defensive places as they stood firm against the imperials.

SI-2481 winced as a trooper at his side fell. There was a gaping hole in his helmet, still smoking as well. Apparently the Sangheili weren't happy with their intrusion. Who would have thought…

"Sir, more of them on their way." Another soldier called out to him. "Swordsmen, bearing left!"

Out of a cloud of smoke came a whole squad worth of Sangheili swordsmen, their plasma blades drawn and posed to strike. The shadow troopers were too late to stop them as they crossed the distance fairly quickly on their strong legs.

The first warrior immediately swung his weapon, cutting off the head of a trooper with clean precision like a surgeon with a scalpel. The trooper's black helmet rolled over the dusty stone tiles as the body dropped. Blood stained the old Sangheili grounds as the swordsman stood tall and proud, roaring a war cry while more of his kin dashed past him.

To their credit, the shadow troopers were disciplined enough to stand their ground. They retaliated instead of running as they aimed their blasters at the advancing Sangheili. Shots pinged off the energy shields but few managed to get through. It was as if a horde of angry beasts were descending upon them, furious and vengeful, demanding blood as retribution.

"Aagh!" One of the men cried as an energy blade pierced his abdomen.

The stench of burnt flesh covered the area as more bodies joined the corpses on the battered ground. Even the droids suffered casualties, their attacks futile against the swordsmanship of the Sangheili. Due to their success the defenders rallied themselves while the imperial assault halted in its tracks.

"Kriff." The commander cursed vehemently. "Tell our men to keep their distance. And take down those turrets now!"

Another droid was cut down by a Sangheili when the royal guards finally made their presence known. As the shadow troopers fell back in order to stay away from the melee combat, the shadow guard and his cohorts passed them by with their own weapons drawn. The red-clad men and women had their blaster rifles, pistols and force pikes revealed while their cloaks had been dropped to reveal their armor underneath. At the front was the shadow guard who had taken off his own cloak and activated his lightsaber pike, its red glow reflecting on his black armor.

The guardsmen spoke in some of language that no one could make head nor tail of it except themselves. Like a well-oiled machine their ranks closed up as they charged the Sangheili melee units. Every swordsman present gladly accepted their challenge and ran forward, two forces only moments away from clashing with each other.

For someone like SI-2481 it was surreal to see such finesse between two opposing melee combatants as there was between the Sangheili and the royal guards. Swords clashed against each other as they met on the battlefield, sparks flying between them. Energy swords could cut through many things but they failed to break the force pikes which had been designed to combat even lightsabers.

SI-2481 watched as one of the Sangheili swung his blade, only for his opponent to dodge with amazing speed. The imperial clad in red thrusted his force pike forward yet the swordsman dodged as well. With a snarl the Sangheili slashed in a wide arc but this led to his undoing. The royal guard utilized this opportunity to strike swiftly with his own melee weapon, piercing the warrior's chest armor and ribcage. Blue blood spewed out of the wound.

"Squad five, support the royal guards while squad three gives cover fire." The shadow trooper commander quickly ordered by pressing on the side of his helmet.

The imperial stealth forces immediately jumped into action as they carried out his commands. They either took up positions behind cover or behind the emperor's guard, both options preferable compared to fighting the Sangheili swordsmen head-on. Besides, it didn't look like the red guards would need much help either way.

As talented and skilled the Sangheili were, the royal guardsmen were no pushovers. Trained in many CQC styles, as well as multiple weapons, and both their minds and bodies honed to perfection made them extremely dangerous opponents. It was also clear that the emperor's guard had speed and agility on their side that the Sangheili struggled to match.

But if there was someone who was the center of attention then it was the shadow guard. His lightsaber pike blocked any incoming attack and could deal some serious damage on its own. Its wielder was equally as deadly, as to be expected of one of the imperial royal guard's upper ranks.

The shadow guard jumped over a Sangheili who swung in a broad arc, missing his foe by mere inches. He landed gracefully on his feet and immediately jabbed his pike backwards. The Sangheili warrior felt the staff of the pike slam into his leg and fell on the ground while a pang of pain went through his limb. There was no delay when it came to the final blow. The shadow guard spun around, slicing off the Sangheili's head with his lightsaber pike.

"By the emperor…" One of the troopers muttered, having seen the graceful move of the elite guard.

"Don't just stand there." His sergeant barked while aiming his blaster. "Suppress the enemy! Give those guards the opportunity they need."

"Yes sir!" The shadow troopers chorused.

All together they resumed firing at the enemy with renewed vigor while the royal guards kept on advancing. A few times they got hit but luckily for them they were outfitted by the latest personal shield generators produced by imperial scientists. Now they were able to shrug off a few hits before being in serious danger.

SI-2481 looked down the scope of his rifle, spotted a Grunt who was carrying heavy ordinance and fired. The Unggoy yelped as two blaster bolts struck his gas tank. Coupled with the heavy weaponry in his hands, the resulting explosion was powerful enough to take down another Grunt in the blast along with a duo of Sangheili. The shadow trooper commander watched in silent satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the shadow guard ended another Sangheili before turning to his fellow guards who were performing quite well in dealing with the swordsmen. When he spoke it was in their own battle language, a means to prevent anyone from understanding their motives.

"Form up on me." He said curtly.

Only a few seconds later he was flanked by two fellow guardsmen, one wielding a force pike while the other had equipped himself with a heavy blaster pistol. He jogged forward and was almost immediately halted by another Sangheili. The alien warrior growled at him, raising his plasma rifle to open fire. As a response the guard simply picked the alien up using the force before throwing the warrior away. A loud crack could be heard once the body slammed into the ground.

More guards rallied to his side and before the Sangheili knew it they had successfully broken through. Under the cover provided to them by the troopers, they ran inside the ancient building while their enemies outside were kept busy.

The shadow guard immediately darted out of the way as a bulky Sangheili with heavy looking armor landed in front of him. More Sangheili popped out of cover, either wielding a blade or a rifle. Their surprise attack did not deter the imperials though. Red garbed men and women turned to cover as they all took out their own ranged weaponry. Plasma bolts flew through the once holy site as the small hallway was turned into a warzone.

"Now you will die." The bulky silver-armored Sangheili growled to the shadow guard, brandishing his energy sword.

There was no reply from the guard, only enigmatic silence as he took a battle position with the forward end of his pike aimed at the ground while the end was raised in the air. The Ultra snarled before charging his foe with intense ferocity. One of them would fall.

Their blades clashed against each other, blue and red mixing together. Both fighters gave no ground whatsoever as their power struggle continued. All around them people were fighting but they paid no attention to any of them. Their minds were solely focused on their duel.

The Ultra let out a grunt as he pushed the guard back and pressed the attack, successfully forcing his opponent to go on the defensive. Taking a few steps back to evade being cut down, the shadow guard spotted an opening in the Sangheili's stance before taking action. Just as the energy sword passed him he thrusted his pike forward which threw the Ultra off-balance. The red blade only narrowly missed the warrior's hide. Glaring all the while, the Ultra changed his stance as he was now put on the defense after losing his momentum.

He blocked the incoming strikes but found himself working hard to keep up with the shadow guard whose movements were fast. The staff that the imperial wielded spun around, its red energy blade also rotating fast enough to be blurred as a result. A grunt left the Elite's jaws as he was slightly pushed back by a rather powerful hit. He snarled loudly, giving his foe a look that could kill.

"You will not win this battle. The Swords of Sanghelios will defeat your dishonorable crusade!" He yelled into the shadow guard's face.

However, he was met by no answer. Only silence. The Sangheili narrowed his reptilian eyes as he glared at the imperial's red visor.

All of a sudden the shadow guard pushed the Ultra back before the guard freed one of his hands. Like some sort of sorcerer he summoned lightening from his fingertips, cackling and wild like a thunderstorm. There was no way for the Sangheili to defend himself as the lightning struck him. His four mandibles opened up, allowing his screams of agony to be heard. The pain was excruciating to say the least.

With a pained gasp for air he fell on his knees while placing a hand on the stone tiles to balance himself. His breathing was shallow while his body still spasmed slightly from the unforeseen attack. A red light attracted his attention, urging him to raise his head. The shadow guard stood in front of him, lightsaber pike dangerously close to his neck.

There was no begging, there was no request for mercy. The Ultra proudly raised his head as the shadow guard stared down at him. He had been defeated.

"Go on." The Sangheili warrior spat. "Finish it."

The shadow guard slowly raised his lightsaber pike like an executioner preparing to deliver judgement. The two never broke eye contact. Then the blade came crashing down, finishing a life in a matter of moments. No remorse or satisfaction welled up within the guard. Not a single shred of emotions.

He turned around and left the beheaded corpse of the warrior behind.

As valiantly as the Sangheili fought, they were outmatched by the elite royal guards. The teamwork and skills utilized by the imperials were more than a match for even their best warriors. However, they did manage to wound the red guards, going as far as to kill one of them. But in the end the final line of defense was wiped out which left a path open to apprehend the Sangheili commanders. Slain warriors dotted the plaza outside as well as the ancient building of their ancestors inside. They had fought bravely to the last man.

The shadow guard silently stared at the few captured enemy commanders as he waited for their transport to arrive. Thrawn would have his prisoners.

* * *

 **Sedra**

 **Sedra city**

 **Central tower**

Vaz looked around the corner, peering into the darkness of the hallway. It had been going on like this ever since entering this tower. They'd watch their step and carefully navigate through the imperial-occupied building that had been turned into a facility. Vaz pitied the poor souls who had been the previous owners.

"It's clear." He whispered to his comrades.

Taylor nodded and tapped Mal on his shoulder. The three operatives quietly moved onwards through the hallway as their objective finally came into reach at the end of the corridor. There was the office of Thomas McKinley, captain of the NCA's intelligence branch. To a random person it would have looked like a standard room but to Taylor it was a treasure trove of information.

The doorway was left unguarded. Taylor had noticed that the upper floors of the building were mostly devoid of life, only a few guards here and there. Another sign of typical imperial arrogance. Of course they had not expected anyone to get this far but such things had never stopped ONI before. It wouldn't stop them now either.

"Cover me." She told her companions, getting on her knees as she retrieved a small cable with a camera attached to the end out of her backpack.

Vaz and Mal aimed their weapons down the corridor while she turned her little gadget on. She slowly pushed it underneath the door, giving her a clear view of the interior. Through the feed she could see a spacious office with a large desk at the end. It was luxuriously furnished with plants, couches, vases and even paintings. What really caught Taylor's interest was the terminal on the desk.

"No one's inside." She spoke up as she put her camera away. "Let's get in."

"On it." Mal muttered.

Breaking the lock was easy and they quickly moved into the office. The two ODSTs still held their weapons warily, as if anything could happen. Taylor on the other hand immediately walked past a couch and sat down behind the terminal. Luckily it wasn't of imperial design but rather a human one. Well, human in the sense as it came from humanity that originated from earth. Small detail, big difference.

"Do you even know what you're looking for in there?" Vaz asked, casting a glance at her.

"Anything worthwhile." Was her curt reply.

Hacking the terminal was child's play for her. ONI had been generous by giving her an OSD containing an AI that would break into the device. Taylor connected the AI with the terminal, waiting for a few moments before the process was complete. Now she had full access to all files.

"I'm in." Taylor announced to her comrades.

"Good." Vaz muttered. "The sooner we get what we came for, the sooner we get away from here. I'm starting to think we've overstayed our welcome."

"Just keep guarding the door." Mal said dryly.

Taylor put their chatter in the background and instead focused on what was in those files. As the download proceeded into the OSD, the ONI operative took a quick look out of curiosity. She had to give credit to Osman, this was indeed a very well-chosen target.

There was enough in here to connect the NCA to the empire and even a few other insurrection groups. Names of operatives, their aliases, encryption codes, etc. all of it was present. Apparently admiral Drake had been working together with the imperials for some time now. Taylor even found a few detailed operation reports that had been forwarded to the admiral by McKinley. One of those reports contained information about Escala III, a planet which had fallen under imperial control. Thanks to the insurrectionists they had successfully infiltrated the space elevator with special forces and an entire battalion of imperial battle droids.

Taylor was disgusted to see that her people were actually helping the invaders. No, not hers. The insurrectionists were simply traitors that needed to be eliminated. This information would help with goal, making its collection even more important than it already was.

But according to McKinley's personal notes, the alliance between the imperial and the NCA wasn't as solid as they made it out to be. There was clearly distrust between the factions which was something that ONI could exploit. The relation between them was a large danger to humanity's survival. Something that was unacceptable.

"Are you done?" Vaz spoke up impatiently.

Any time spent longer inside the office elevated their chances of being detected. Frankly, Vaz didn't want to spend his days inside an imperial prison.

"Almost." Taylor replied.

She gazed at the download and began to feel impatient as well. Most of the firewalls were easy to take down but the AI still needed time to break through them. Decryption of the files' content itself could wait until they brought the information to an ONI facility.

Taylor's attention was caught by a sudden red light that popped up on the screen. Her body tensed in apprehension. The AI was kind enough to alert her of what was happening; a failsafe. She watched as entire folders began to erase themselves without her consent.

"This isn't good." She said as she frantically began to save as much data as she could with the help of the AI.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked seriously, walking over to her.

Taylor sighed, "The system is trying to wipe itself. I'm losing files left and right."

"Shit." Vaz cursed quietly.

"We need to move. Now." Mal said grimly.

"Just a few more seconds." Taylor objected, her eyes not leaving the screen for a moment. "I need to save what I can."

Mal moved to object but stopped in his tracks when the walls suddenly moved. The two ODSTs and ONI operative recoiled as the hidden storages opened up, revealing an imperial sentry droid on each side. The tall and bulky droids powered up almost instantaneously. Their red optics shone brightly in the darkness of the office like smoldering embers. Without delay they exited the hidden storage closets as they went after their targets.

"Watch out!" Mal yelled a warning.

He grabbed Taylor and dragged her with him to the ground as one of the droids raised its blaster at them. Ruby bolts of energy whizzed over the desk while the two humans took cover. Taylor cursed silently, tasting the copper taste of blood in her mouth. During her fall she had accidentally bit her tongue. She saw Mal grab his rifle out of the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, shit." Vaz groaned as he raised his SMG.

He quickly opened fire on the second sentry droid that had chosen him as a target, yet the bullets didn't pierce its tough armor in time. The droid was already upon him and swiped its arm at him. Vaz crouched low before rolling away. The ODST got up again and raised his rifle so he could shoot at his attacker. However, the droid spun around before knocking Vaz on his back. Vaz could already feel his arm aching from the hit, no doubt it would become an ugly bruise.

"Vaz!" Mal cried out while his own problem kept on firing.

"I'm fine!" Vaz yelled back, dodging another strike.

Mal sighed and looked around the corner, firing his SMG for only a second before he was forced back into cover. He grunted as a blaster bolt hit the floor right next to him. A heavy frown formed on his face while he tried to come up with a plan. If these droids had been activated then it was safe to say that more security forces were on their way. Mal checked his ammo and after being satisfied with what he saw, sprinted to a nearby couch while being fired upon by the droid.

He was nearly shot but luckily made it without a hitch. The sentry droid was now completely focused on him, leaving Taylor alone for now.

"Everything alright?" Taylor asked him in concern.

Mal winced as another bolt landed way too close to his liking. He'd much rather fight a normal imperial trooper than this machine. At least they went down much easier.

"Don't worry about me." He replied steadfast. "Just focus on that data."

"Got it." The operative nodded, reaching out to the console.

He got up again and took a few shots at the droid but the bullets simply bounced off its grey armor. There was some damage but nothing critical in the least. He couldn't do anything without getting hurt either. For now all he could was keep its attention on him, away from Taylor and their objective.

Meanwhile, Vaz kept fighting his own opponent in CQC. His SMG had been discarded, now laying beneath a couch where the sentry droid had kicked it to. The ODST wasn't done yet and he was going to show it. He had survived Elites, Jackals and Brutes. There was no way he was going to get killed by some tin can. He was a goddamn helljumper, not some wussy Grunt.

"Come on, bastard." He taunted the droid as he held his arms up in a fighting style, not caring if it could understand him. "Give me your best shot."

The droid raised its blaster arm before bringing it down hard like one would do with a hammer. Vaz sidestepped it and grabbed a vase that stood on a small coffee table. Just as the machine's head turned to look at him he smashed the object against it. The vase shattered like glass on the metal hide of the droid, pieces falling on the carpet. Vaz grinned in satisfaction as his opponent seemed to recollect itself which meant he must have done at least some damage.

"You're not so tough after all, are ya?" He spoke up.

It gave no response but instead launched itself forward. Vaz was taken aback by the sudden move and was unprepared for when the broad shoulder of the droid hurled him against the wall. The air in his lungs fled as he wheezed loudly. Vaz let out a small cough. He looked up and saw the droid standing over him. From his perspective it looked as if it was feeling smug.

Vaz abruptly kicked the droid's leg but hissed as he only hurt himself. The sentry droid let out a garbled low sound before reaching out and picking up Vaz with its free hand. It hefted him up easily with its mechanical strength, blood red optics meeting human eyes.

"You smug piece of scrap." Vaz grinned, holding up his SMG with one free hand while the other was clasped around the droid's arm.

It looked at the weapon in his hands, unaware that its victim had been armed. Vaz had been lucky to land right next to where his rifle had been dropped. He quickly aimed the SMG at the droid's head and fired, a steady stream of bullets tearing into the machine. Sparks and pieces of metal flew from the droid before its grip loosened. Vaz was unceremoniously dropped on the floor while the sentry droid finally went down with a completely torn head.

"Ha!" Vaz barked a small laugh. "Take that you piece of scrap."

"If you're done enjoying yourself, can you please help?!" Mal yelled, reminding his partner of his own predicament.

Vaz aimed at the other sentry droid, gaining its attention as it was now being shot at from two opposing directions. Soon it fell down with bullets holes all around its frame, optics flickering on and off while smoke came out of it.

"I officially hate these things." Mal grumbled, reloading his SMG.

"Done." Taylor announced. "I've got what we came for."

"Great. Time to get out of here then." Vaz said with sarcastic cheer.

"There are shuttles on the roof. Those are our ticket out of here. We'll use one of them to reach the Prowler that's waiting to extract us." Taylor continued, ignoring the ODST's sarcasm.

Mal nodded, "We need to hurry. No doubt they're coming for us."

"Remember, that data has to reach ONI." Taylor said in a serious tone that conveyed how important it was. She pulled out her pistol and shot the droid at their feet, a mechanical whine coming out of its vocalizer as its optics finally shut off. "No matter the cost."

She walked past the surprised ODSTs and headed towards the exit. Vaz let out a chuckle as he and his friend quickly fell in line.

"I think I'm going to ask her out after this." Vaz joked.

"In your dreams." Came Mal's dry response.

* * *

 **Imperial space station**

 **Control room**

 **Upper platform**

There was just no way this was possible. It couldn't be. How? How did four soldiers do all of this?!

Fulbur was asking himself this repeatedly. How? Spartans were super soldiers and highly dangerous opponents. Any imperial officer of the emperor's campaign knew this. There just wasn't beating the Spartans through conventional means, not without huge sacrifices.

" _How did it all go so wrong?"_ The moff couldn't help but think in despair.

Before the Spartans came onboard, he had had hope that reinforcements would arrive soon. After all, many imperial starships were just a few jumps away. He had thought that star destroyers would come out of hyperspace, destroy the enemy fleet along with that blasted dreadnaught and save him from certain death. But now? Now he had to deal with four rampaging Spartans who were tearing the station apart from the inside.

A drop of sweat rolled down his neck, his fists clenched around the railing he stood next to and his breathing became heavier. He was on the verge of a panic attack. The mere idea that one of those _monsters_ would make its way to the command center… it was too much to bear.

"Sir, squad 21 and 14 have been eliminated." An aide reported nervously.

Fulbur closed his eyes for a moment. The ensign had every reason to be nervous. He had sent so many to stop the Spartans yet the result was the same every single time; failure to stop them. The UNSC's super soldiers didn't just kill his soldiers, they utterly destroyed them. He couldn't even look at the camera feed without almost having a seizure.

The two squads had lasted less than half a minute against them. Less than thirty seconds. A dozen storm troopers who had had time to set up a defense had been killed in such little time. It baffled his mind, terrifying him as he stood in awe of the Spartans.

So far their progress had been vast and swift, nothing short of what was to be expected of Spartans. Their point of entry, a hangar that had been easily breached after evading the TIE fighters, was now in shambles. Corpses littered the place while his men were still unable to do anything about the fire that raged on there. After that it had gotten even worse once the Spartans left the hangar. No matter how much of a fight his storm troopers put up, they kept being annihilated. Not even E-web turrets seemed to keep the enemy at bay.

At this point, Fulbur didn't think he'd live to see Vader's wrath.

"I want everyone to stop them!" He snapped at the command crew, his anxiety seeping through his otherwise calm façade.

"Everyone, sir?" One of the officers asked uncertainly for clarification.

"Everyone!" He all but shouted.

Fulbur had to resist the urge to scream. No one was capable of stopping the enemy within and outside. His defense fleet was completely scattered, pockets of ships cut off by the enemy, all thanks to that blasted dreadnaught and whoever was commandeering it. Rarely had he seen such tactical genius before, only the most successful admirals such as the grand admiral came into mind. The UNSC had effectively broken the defensive line that had been established and were dealing with the remainders of the star destroyers, all the while their smaller ships nuked the shipyards and fighters squadrons to kingdom come. It didn't help that admiral Wincros who had been in charge had died only a short while ago when that massive ship gutted her star destroyer.

"Sir!" Fulbur heard an officer speak up with a calmness that he wished he himself still had. "Reports from our ground forces."

The moff sighed, "What is it?"

"Commander Xilo has reported that almost all data has been purged. The UNSC's ground troops have successfully breached his base and are ransacking the place as we speak. He's given the order to fall back deeper into the facility. They'll defend it until reinforcements arrive."

"If they arrive at all." Fulbur mumbled under his breath bitterly.

"As for our jungle facilities, they are holding off the enemy so far but they're slowly losing ground."

"Those battles will be for nothing if we don't receive any aid." Fulbur said flatly.

Their situation was dire. No one could deny it any longer, not with the loss of the admiral and most of their defenders. This system was of great importance to the empire's campaign yet even with these losses alone they would face serious consequences. Ships would no longer be able to refuel here nor would they receive repairs. Fulbur was a dead man. If the Spartans didn't get him first then lord Vader most certainly would.

"Sir! We're picking up ships out of hyperspace!" An ensign called out, drawing everyone's attention.

Fulbur felt his hope being reignited. Could it be? Had their reinforcements finally arrived? Piett had told him that he would be aided by admiral Killian who wasn't just any imperial, he had been an admiral back during the clone wars. The man was a spacer to the bone. Shoan Killian had a good chance at beating back the UNSC as long as he had the ships to do it.

"Show me on screen!" Fulbur quickly ordered, wishing to see it for himself.

The ensign nodded and brought up the data on the large screen. However, once they saw it on display they felt their hearts skip a beat.

For the moff it was even worse. He suddenly had trouble breathing, his face lost all color and his eyes widened in pure shock. No. It couldn't be. How did _they_ get here? Was this the universe playing a dirty trick on him? Terror washed over the moff as he felt his despair grow.

"It can't be…" He whispered almost inaudibly.

"Sir, it's…" His second-in-command gulped. "It's the rebels. It's the rebel kriffing alliance."


	17. Chapter 17

**About high time I updated again, isn't it? Sometimes I scroll down this particular crossover pair and tell to myself "so little new stories, yet so many that don't get updated." That's when I realized I belonged to those people. I feel like a jerk for not giving all of you one of the chapters that you were looking forward to!**

 **But in all seriousness, sorry for the delay, I got pretty occupied by my new Mass Effect/Star Wars crossover. So enjoy the first contact between the UNSC and the Rebel Alliance!**

* * *

 **Epsilon system**

 _ **Infinity**_

 **Bridge**

Fleet admiral Terrence Hood was a calm and collected man. Nowadays there was little that fazed him anymore, which was normal considering the fact that UNSC forces had come across _a living Forerunner_. Just their luck, of course. He took pride in the fact that he could remain calm, even in the fiercest battles, and get an idea on how to handle a situation. It had become a character trait of his. When people looked at the aged fleet admiral, they would only see a steadfast leader with an answer to everything.

But even he had to admit that he was slightly puzzled by what just pinged on their radar.

Hood tore his eyes away from the battle and focused on their latest development. It wasn't as if there was much to do anyways, seeing as the imperials were losing the fight. The UNSC warships were still locked in a deadly dance of death with the imperial star destroyers, navigating around each other, while firing nonstop at their foes. Most of the imperial fleet was scattered. However, they were not going down without a fight. Imperial starfighters were swarming the battlefield while the remaining defense platforms kept on harassing the UNSC task force.

Outside of the _Inifinity_ 's viewports there were vibrant flashes of light. Exploding vessels, MACs firing at point blank, turbolaser fire from the imperials. It was enough to make a person's head spin. Lord Hood glanced at captain Lasky and felt a surge of satisfaction as the ship's commanding officer remained steadfast, even during such chaos.

"Tell me what you've got, Roland." The aging UNSC officer spoke, his gaze firmly locked onto the holotable.

The AI immediately turned towards the admiral, a useless gesture since his avatar did not possess his 'eyes', but rather the bridge's cameras served as them. It was simply something that all AI did, as it usually brought more comfort to the organic crew.

At the AI's command, the holotable changed until the holograms of a series of ships were projected. These vessels had entered the system only less than a minute ago, causing confusion amongst the UNSC task force. Hood also did not know what to make of them. At least, not yet. They had expected imperial reinforcements, at least a few Imperial-class star destroyers, yet these ships were small and did not have impressive numbers. Why sent a few ships to such an important battle instead of an actual fleet? Even the imperials usually gathered their ships when being asked for reinforcements, so the reinforcing fleet would have substantial numbers.

This went against everything that they knew.

"I'm not certain, sir." Roland replied perplexedly, his yellow hologram flashing as his face turned into a frown. "The design of these ships don't match anything in my database. They're not ours, nor are they Covenant or imperial. They don't fit any profile at all."

Lasky leaned over the table, "But you detected them using the same FTL method as the imperials. Isn't there a chance they're simply ships of a different imperial design?"

"Maybe, but it's unlikely." Roland shrugged. "I've scanned them and while they indeed utilize the same tech as the imperials, I'm not detecting any imperial IFF tags. Every single ship of theirs has one. Even their shuttles usually have them, but not these ships."

Hood silently analyzed the data that was presented to them. His eyes went over the shape of the ships, scanning for anything that stood out, while also observing the aesthetics. Just like he had been told by Roland, the design was completely different from that of the imperials. Their enemy had a standard design that was mostly based around the Imperial-class star destroyer. Triangular ships, exposed bridge structures and blocky yet smooth shapes. That was what defined an imperial star destroyer.

Yet these starships defied that standard. The smallest ones looked somewhat like hammers. One of them had a hammer-like front, followed by a long body that ended with three engines placed in a triangle-formation. The other type was a hammer in itself, a horizontal tube-liked front connected to frame that ended in a large set of engines. There were some guns on these ships, but the small size of the ships made them unimpressive. They formed most of the small fleet and seemed to be escorting the larger ones.

The second biggest spaceship inside the formation was of a rather strange design. Hood eyed the main body, figuring it looked like a blade, as it was connected to a smaller body by a cylindrical hull. The end of the ship apparently housed its engines, with two sharp fan-like metal struts sticking out of it. Once again he couldn't help but notice the lack of imperial design. The largest ship that the fleet contained, one that was just a bit longer than a Halcyon-class, also had a stark contrast when compared to a star destroyer. Whereas those had a dagger-like shape, this one lacked hard angles and was covered with ovoid forms which reminded Hood of an organic sculpture.

Adding to his forming hypothesis were the starfighters that flew around the ships. They too were not of imperial design. It was well-known that the imperial starfighters had an eyeball-like cockpit, yet these vessels were shaped like an X, an A or a Y.

"Then it would be logical to say that we're not dealing with the imperials." Hood eventually declared, tearing his gaze away from the holograms.

Both Roland and Lasky looked at him with slight confusion, but began accepting Hood's point as they thought about it. They still knew little of the empire and its enemies. It was possible that they were dealing with a different faction, but that only raised more questions.

"But why are they here?" Lasky asked. "And how can we be certain that it's not an imperial trick?"

Hood shook his head, "We don't. For now, we'll assume that they're imperial reinforcements, trying to trick us."

He wasn't going to make decisions on assumptions. If previous contact with aliens had taught the UNSC anything, then it was that any new civilizations had to be treated as hostile. This was no exception. But first things first, they had to make contact with those ships and see if they were truly imperials or not.

"Understood, admiral. Should I try establishing a connection?" Roland offered helpfully.

"Go ahead." The fleet admiral nodded, showing his consent.

The ship's AI returned the nod, and soon after accessed communications. The bridge was awfully quiet as they waited. Even the crewmen behind their stations were curious, an occasional glance thrown at the holotable where their leaders stood. Hood was basically a statue as he waited patiently. His mouth was set in a thin line, eyes narrowed and calculative, while his hands were clasped together behind back. He was the perfect representation of what a UNSC fleet admiral strove to be.

Lasky was in awe of the man, but did his best to follow his peer's example. His face was etched in stone as he stood at the admiral's side. There weren't any problems he had to attend to, knowing that the bridge crew would alert him in time. As calm as he was on the outside, he felt anxious on the inside. Sweat was forming on the back of his neck.

After an antagonizing amount of time they finally got a response. Roland allowed a smirk to cross his holographic face, the light of his avatar moving to the edge of the holotable as it once again displayed something else. The previous data was wiped away and replaced by two holograms of humanoids. One of them was of a human, which wasn't much of a surprise. The woman had brown hair with equally brown eyes, and while she was quite pretty, there was a fire in her eyes that made her look fiercer than her appearance hinted at. It was the other person that caused some surprise amongst the UNSC personnel.

The creature, if put crudely, was a fish. He had the shape of a humanoid, but his physical attributes differentiated greatly from what a human looked like. The man's head was somewhat shaped like a dome with two huge fish-like eyes on his face, with an equally fish-like mouth. His forearms were quite thick and he sported two webbed hands. From all appearances he was the spitting image of a fishman. However, the creature wore a pristine suit, while holding himself in a dignified manner. Hood immediately felt as if the man was a sailor, though it was more of a gut feeling.

The bridge had gone completely quiet. It was only because there was still a battle raging on outside that the crewmen didn't outright stare. Lasky was baffled at the appearance of the fish-like man, and he was certain that he was gaping like a fish himself. Luckily Lord Hood recollected himself in only a split second.

"This is fleet admiral Terrence Hood of the United Nations Space Command. Identify yourselves and state your intentions immediately, or we will consider you as hostiles, and react accordingly." He demanded firmly, glaring at the holograms.

Lasky wondered if they spoke English, but his concerns were immediately laid to rest as the woman spoke. She spoke with an elegance that once again surprised him.

"This is Leia Organa of The Alliance To Restore The Republic." The female now identified as Organa answered, her voice calm and collected like Hood's. "And this is admiral Ackbar, captain of the _Home One_. We come in peace, admiral Hood."

"Then this is a strange place to come to with peaceful intentions, miss Organa. This is a warzone." Hood replied stoically. His gaze never left hers, seemingly analyzing her. "I'll ask you only one more time, why are you here? Are you with the imperials?"

The situation was getting tense. Everyone could feel the anxiety that hung in the air, like static electricity, no one was left unaffected. Lasky kept his eyes on the hologram like a hawk. He could feel the drop of sweat that had been steadily building up slide down the back of his neck. This was it, the moment of truth.

"I can assure you, admiral," Ackbar spoke up with a deep, somewhat guttural voice, "that we are by no means affiliated with the empire. If anything, we've been at odds with them for years now. The Alliance is an organization dedicated to the downfall of the Galactic Empire, and reestablishing the Galactic Republic that emperor Palpatine tore down. It's our goal to free the galaxy of his rule. For this, we have united multiple rebel cells into one singular alliance."

Knowing that the man could be lying, but too relieved by the initial answer to care, the crew let out a collective breath that they hadn't even noticed they had been holding. Lasky allowed some tension to ebb away, his shoulders sagging only an inch. However, Hood merely regarded the two holograms with a critical eye.

"If that's so, then why are you here?" Hood inquired inquisitively.

Leia crossed her arms as she stared Hood in the eye, "We were investigating imperial activity in an unknown territory. The imperials have been shipping troops and warships for little over a year now, and we finally managed to find out where. They've been very secretive of their activities, and since we never had the time nor the resources, we only just managed to find this system."

"Forgive me for not fully believing you, miss Organa, but your timing of arrival puts me in a difficult spot." Lord Hood replied evenly in turn. "You're using the same technology as the imperials and turn up just when the imperials are losing the battle. For all intents and purposes, this could be an elaborate imperial trap. What proof do you have?"

He couldn't see any deceit in the woman's eyes. Hood liked to believe that over the years of being fleet admiral, having had to lead and play politician, he was adept at detecting lies. So far he got the impression that the woman wasn't lying. However, it wasn't the first time that they were tricked by another party. All things considered, it was for the best if he remained skeptical and distant.

Leia softened her look slightly, "I understand your apprehension, admiral. But I promise you that the Alliance doesn't seek conflict with the UNSC. In fact, there's someone you should meet."

Lasky raised an eyebrow as both Ackbar and Leia made space, allowing a man wearing UNSC army gear to step forward. He had a somewhat large nose, accompanied by plain facial features and short black hair. His appearance caused surprise among the UNSC personnel. Hood's eyes became ice-cold, hoping that they weren't looking at any prisoner or a copycat.

"Admiral, sir." The man saluted crisply, only receiving a curt nod from the aging fleet admiral. "Colonel Thomas Oliver, UNSC army, service number 44821-86484-LM reporting in."

Before answering to the man, Hood glanced at Roland, asking for silent confirmation. The AI nodded back, signaling that it was indeed the same colonel that they had in their databanks. Lord Hood looked back at the officer and gave no indication of any emotions. There wasn't even any surprise written on his face.

"Colonel, it's good to see you. Mind telling me what you're doing aboard these people's ship?" He asked with authority in his voice, as if he was a drill sergeant catching a recruit coming back from a night of partying and alcohol.

Oliver nodded, "Me and my men were captured by the empire, sir. They ambushed us on Arcadia, and then locked us up in cages. The guards talked about transporting us to mines so we could be used as slave labor." He grimaced, eyes slightly downcast as he remembered the experience. "Some of us didn't survive our captivity. They put us on a large transport and shipped us off. However, the ship was attacked on the way by the Alliance. They freed us, took care of our wounded and have been taking care of me and my men ever since."

"I see." Hood said plainly, once again staring at Leia. "I suppose I should thank you then, miss Organa, for saving UNSC personnel."

"Their rescue wasn't part of the plan, but I am happy we were able to free more people of the empire's grasp." The former princess of Alderaan replied as she gave the older man a small smile.

Hood gave a barely audible hum of acknowledgement. So far the conversation was going well, at least better than with every other otherworldly civilization they came across with. However, he still didn't trust this Alliance one bit. He simply didn't have the urge of blasting them to kingdom come anymore. There was still the chance that this was one big imperial plot, warranting his absolute concern.

Yet if these people were sincere, then this would present a huge opportunity to the UNSC war effort. They had been searching for the imperials' planets for months. If these people had been fighting the empire for years, then they knew more about the empire than the UNSC did. Hood was seeing these new ships in a new light. They were becoming less of a threat, and more of a shot at ending this war even sooner. That meant he needed to know more about the Alliance. Such as why they were here.

"As happy as I am to know that my people are safe in your care," He spoke up firmly, "you have yet to tell me what you want. I don't think you came all the way here just to spy on the imperials."

Leia nodded, "Of course. I will be blunt, admiral Hood, we are here for you. Or rather the UNSC in its whole. Colonel Oliver has told us about your war with the empire. As it is now, you do not seem to be aware of imperial homeworlds or any major targets of its kind. We would have known if you had. The empire has been throwing entire fleets and armies at you, but you still manage to hold out. They see you as the biggest threat to them ever since the official formation of the rebellion. The Alliance doesn't have the same military capacity as you have, but we do have assets of our own. We know of the rebel sympathizers on imperial planets, locations of imperial strongholds, spies that have infiltrated the ranks of the imperial military and more."

Her passionate words reached Hood's ears and didn't go unnoticed. He could see where this was going, and he was starting to like what he was hearing. A whole year had passed by ever since the beginning of the war. Colony after colony fell, while the UNSC was forced to stay on the defensive. Some planets had been liberated over the course of the war. But when facing an enemy that had such numbers, it mattered little since the empire could simply send a new invasion force.

The fleet admiral placed his hands on the holotable and leaned in, "We have the military strength, while you have the intelligence and potential targets."

"Precisely." Leia confirmed. She stood a bit straighter and revealed her true purpose of being here. "Admiral Hood, the Alliance hereby formally offers to create a coalition between the Alliance and the UNSC, in order to defeat the Galactic Empire once and for all."

There it was. That simple sentence caused Lasky's eyes to widen, his face blank as he processed the presented information. The nearby crew also couldn't help but express shock over the proposal. Displayed by the hologram, Ackbar held his chin up high while Leia calmly awaited a response. All eyes seemed to land on Lord Hood, expectance and curiosity radiating from every person.

The fleet admiral did not reply immediately. Instead, he stared back at Organa with an inscrutable expression. His calculative eyes were locked onto her hopeful ones. This was indeed an opportunity that they couldn't pass on. She was right, of course. They were unaware of imperial worlds while the Alliance most likely had tons of targets. He knew ONI would probably obtain such information, but how long would that take? With every passing day of this war they grew weaker. Their tactics and superior training, alongside the SPARTAN program and the fact that the imperials had little information on their worlds, was all that kept them going.

Now, this Alliance was presenting information that would without a doubt turn the tide of the war into the UNSC's favor. Yet there were still lingering doubts. They needed certainty, and there was still the chance that this 'rebellion' was fake. Hood carefully calculated their chances and pondered deeply on what to answer.

Eventually he found one.

"I will have to respectfully decline for now, miss Organa." Hood stated. "Such a decision needs to be decided by more people than just me. However, I do believe we would be interested in your proposal. I suggest we meet up, have a proper discussion and then decide. Does this sound reasonable to you?"

Leia smiled softly and firmly nodded, "Of course, admiral Hood. I would have it no other way. In the meantime, I offer our assistance to you in this battle."

"Much appreciated." Hood thanked her respectfully.

Everyone was glad to see that things were going peacefully, especially the UNSC staff. Finally a first contact scenario that had gone right. Hood was already busy making plans to contact the rest of the UNSC leadership, so they could dictate their terms for the alliance. This was good news if all of this really was true. Only time would tell.

Ackbar placed his webbed hands on his belt as he spoke, "With that in mind, I suggest-"

"Admiral, we've got a problem!" Roland suddenly exclaimed, interrupting the Mon Calamari rebel officer.

Luckily Ackbar too no offense and immediately turned silent. Glad that to see that he did so, Hood quickly turned to the AI, some mild annoyance written on his wrinkled face. However, most of it was concern. Roland never acted this way or would interrupt something so important unless it was dire.

"What's wrong, Roland." Lasky asked, frowning slightly as well.

"Multiple contacts, sirs." The ship's AI replied as he brought up a live tactical feed. His orange avatar grimaced as he broke the news to them. "All of them imperial."

Everyone watched as multiple imperial ships came out of hyperspace, their arrival so sudden and possibly at the worst time. Hood clenched his hands into fists as he looked at the enemy reinforcements. There were dozens of them, at the very least a force of seventy ships strong if not more, with more popping up. He noticed that most of them were smaller vessels such as the Victories and Acclamators, with a very few of them being the annoying Interdictors and carriers. All of them were accompanied by seventeen Imperial-class star destroyers.

Hood inwardly cursed their luck. This wasn't just a handful of ships, but an entire fleet dedicated to supporting what was left of the imperial defense fleet. He could already see the surviving ships flock to their comrades' side. His own fleet was damaged and did not have the luxury of reinforcements. They would have to rely on their MACs and the distance between themselves and the opposing fleet, though that distance wasn't all too great. Besides, the imperials were already advancing at full military thrust.

"This complicates matters." Lord Hood grumbled morbidly.

"That is one of the biggest imperial fleets I have ever witnessed." They heard Leia mutter, her holographic eyes gazing upon the amount of imperial warships.

Lasky scowled, "Admiral, what will we do?"

Aware of the people that were looking at him, Hood wiped away all traces of emotion. He couldn't afford to look weak in the presence of the Alliance, nor could he do that in front of his own crew. The ensigns and officers were also busy paying attention to either him or the opposing fleet. Hood clenched his jaw.

"Reorganize the fleet." He barked loudly. "Get us into formation, and then prepare to fire MACs and nuclear missiles. Prioritize the Imperial-class star destroyers with our cannons, the enemy carriers with our nukes and the smaller vessels with archer missiles. Get a move on it people!"

The bridge crew instantly sprang to action. Roland aided them in their efforts, transmitting the admiral's orders to the rest of the fleet. The _Infinity_ shook slightly as it was brought into position. Some of the other UNSC ships were already forming up at the flagship's side, taking defensive positions and preparing their weapons.

"Admiral," Hood heard Lasky say, turning his attention to the younger officer. "We've got more problems on our hands. Roland?"

The AI complied and highlighted a part of the system that they were in, pointing at a position that was close to the jungle planet. Hood scowled as he recognized the shape of an Imperial-class star destroyer. The reason for his displeasure was the fact that it was headed for the planet itself, no doubt to halt UNSC progress on the surface. It was probably a survivor of the earlier battle as well. The implications of what could happen were quite clear to him. All that stood between that star destroyer and their ground forces was the UNSC _Deliverance_ , a lone frigate. Hood wasn't very optimistic about their chances. Upon further inspection it was revealed that aside from the star destroyer, there were two Acclamators and one light cruiser accompanying it. The odds were not in their favor.

"Those ships will destroy our frigate in orbit, before raining down hell on our people down below." Hood growled.

Roland looked up at him expectantly, "Should I send some of our remaining ships to intercept them?"

"No." The admiral replied quickly, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Right now we need all hands on deck. We can't spare any ships, not even for this."

The situation was deteriorating by the minute. First they get the happy news of a potential ally, only for their luck to run out as imperial reinforcements arrive. Lady luck truly wasn't on their side today. Hood wanted nothing more than to aid their ground forces, but he had to think of the fleet first, with how every ship became priceless nowadays.

"Perhaps we could assist." A feminine voice spoke up, igniting a spark of hope in the aged admiral.

Hood turned to Leia and gave her his undivided attention, "You think you can stop those imperials from blowing my men up?"

"Our ships are already on their way." Ackbar confirmed, crossing his thick arms behind his back. "We should arrive around the same time as them, allowing us to block them from dealing any harm. Our fighters and bombers should be able to take on that star destroyer. However, I would appreciate some help."

"And you'll get it, admiral. I'll let the _Deliverance_ know of your approach. Any aid you can provide to our ground forces, no matter how small, would be greatly appreciated." The UNSC fleet admiral replied, nodding his gratitude to the rebel officer.

Ackbar returned the nod. Not only would he get to see the Alliance in action and learn more about them, but it would save dozens of lives. Hood was well aware that Roland would be recording the whole affair, as would the _Deliverance_ 's onboard AI. Maybe luck was still on their side after all.

"Our starfighters should be able to provide plenty of support," Leia mused, "but just to be sure I will mobilize the few ground forces we have."

Colonel Oliver stepped forward, "Me and my men are ready for duty once more, admiral." He declared determinedly.

The man had a fire in his eyes, ablaze with vengeance for those who had died during imperial captivity. The colonel wanted to help and avenge his men in the process. Hood didn't have to think long, it was an easy decision. Besides, all help was welcome nowadays.

"That's good to hear, colonel." Hood acknowledged.

"Then we will meet again later, admiral. Good luck and may the Force be with you." Leia concluded, bowing her head out of respect.

As the holograms faded away, the images were quickly replaced by tactical data that Roland kept an eye on. Hood briefly wondered what the 'Force' was, but that thought was quickly cast aside, his gaze settling on the table in front of him. The imperial were advancing and he needed to be prepared. After all, the odds were still not completely in their favor. His ships could take on the enemy, but for how long? If the imperial kept on sending reinforcements to the system then they'd be overrun. Losing the _Infinity_ and Blue Team was unacceptable. And with the potential partnership with the rebels, there was a new objective added to his list.

"Let's hope all goes well now." Lasky muttered, the ship's captain coming to stand at Hood's side.

He merely scoffed, "When have things ever gone well?"

* * *

 **Epsilon system**

 **Imperial jungle planet**

 **Orbit around the planet**

Death was an interesting thing to think about. No one truly knew what came after death, but it was an universal fact that you were gone once you died. How you died on the other hand, now that was something one could choose. As for Cullen Kent, UNSC pilot, if he had to choose a way to pass on, then it would be up in the air or in space.

And with how things were developing, that was more than just a possibility.

It took all of his ability not to get hit by the torrent of green plasma that whizzed past his Broadsword. He grunted as he tried to shake his enemy off, but the TIE interceptor on his tail was persistent. He wasn't the only one in trouble though. All around him were pilots flying their starfighters, both imperial and UNSC men and women, as they clashed with each other. Everyone had something to worry about, and Cullen was no exception.

Even now he saw a fellow Broadsword burst into flames as it was shot to pieces, condemning the pilot who had been flying the craft. Three TIE fighters flew past the debris and headed off towards their next victim. Cullen was once again reminded of the fact that they were outnumbered, as they always were, and sometimes better tech didn't save you when facing such odds. But Cullen couldn't think about that now. He had his own problem to deal with, preferably with some help.

"Nightmare-three, this is nightmare-four, I've got a bogey on my six." Cullen spoke into his comms, steering his fighter to the left.

The TIE interceptor mirrored his actions, trying to stay behind the Broadsword. It spun around as it fired again, hoping to hit the UNSC starfighter, but missed just like before. Cullen breathed deeply as an energy bolt flew past the canopy of his cockpit. The TIE was gaining on him.

"Copy, nightmare-four. I'm on it." Crackled Cullen's commpiece.

He was forced to change his course as another TIE flew past him, chased by a Broadsword. The plane was firing its gatling guns like there was no tomorrow. While the TIE was quite maneuverable, and the pilot of decent skill, it was eventually shot down. Bullets pierced the imperial fighter and tore the machinery inside apart. The black-suited pilot could only yell as his fighter spun out of control, exploding only a few seconds later, throwing his corpse out of the contraption.

Cullen hoped he wouldn't end up like the unfortunate pilot.

His pursuer was persistent, he'd give him that. No matter how many times he would try to shake the TIE interceptor off, it somehow managed to stay right behind him, all the while barraging him with blasterfire. Cullen grit his teeth in frustration. Where was his backup? If this pressure kept up, then he'd be a frozen corpse drifting in the vacuum of space very soon.

All around him it was pure chaos and misery. Dozens of pilots were already dead, the frigate they were tasked with protecting was doing all it could to keep the enemy at bay and Cullen himself was neck deep in all of it. He winced as a stray blaster bolt hit his Broadsword. Luckily for him, the spacefaring vessel's shields were able to block it from doing any harm. He flew past the wreckage of an imperial satellite, nearing the UNSC _Deliverance_ while putting distance between himself and the imperials.

Before all of this, one of the Acclamators had been completely gutted by the frigate, and a few missile salvos had destroyed the light cruiser, but that was it. These imperials were getting smarter and smarter as the war progressed. Knowing full well that charging blindly out in the open was a foolish move, the star destroyer and its escort had chosen to use the planet as cover, opting to slingshot around it. Their starfighters had been upon the UNSC frigate before they even had had the chance to fire. Eventually the imperial bombers had gotten through the numerous UNSC starfighters, as well as the _Deliverance_ 's flak guns, and accomplished their goal; disabling the MAC. To make matters worse, the other Acclamator had used the opportunity to descend on the planet, most likely to provide support to the imperial ground forces down below.

Now the star destroyer had free reign, its shields absorbing the missiles and metal slugs that the frigate threw at it, while firing at its heart's content. Cullen figured that it was a miracle that the _Deliverance_ hadn't been destroyed yet. As flawed as they were, Imperial-class star destroyers were no joke. Even now its powerful gun batteries were hammering the UNSC frigate relentlessly. Cullen wondered how the crew felt, trying their hardest to keep the warship running as it was pounded by turbolaserfire, shaking the ship and causing damage to every deck. Would they die quickly? Or would those poor sailors be sucked into the cold and unforgiving darkness of space?

He tried not to think about any of that, trying to focus on his own little problem. The TIE was still on him. His shields were being drained and would soon falter, which would in return leave him completely vulnerable to the interceptor's laser cannons.

Cullen was about to ask his fellow squadron member for an update on his status, but realized it was no longer necessary. The imperial TIE behind him was suddenly blown to bits as two missiles slammed into the craft. He inwardly cheered, but simply let out an explosive sigh. Finally some relief.

"Thanks for the assist, nightmare-three." Cullen said curtly, his body relaxing slightly.

The other Broadsword fighter joined up at his side, flying together with him. Cullen looked to his left to see that the starfighter had a scorch mark on one of its wings. Apparently his comrade had been hit one too many times, breaking through his shields and leaving a scar.

"No problem, nightmare-four." The fellow pilot replied.

They quickly returned to the fight at hand, trying to help out any other pilots that were being overrun. However, it was still not enough. More and more TIE fighters began to gather around the outnumbered UNSC fighters. The battle was going downhill fast. While the UNSC frigate did what it could to remain in the fight, the star destroyer was steadily advancing while numerous bomber wings were waiting for a chance to bombard the terran vessel.

Captain Raskovic resisted the urge to slam his hand on his seat, his mouth forming a thin line as he began to see no way out. His heavy frigate was getting absolutely hammered and there was nothing he could do. Their slipspace drive had been damaged during a bombardment, meaning that escape was not an option, and he did no longer have the firepower required to destroy the star destroyer. All around him his crew was working diligently, yet their efforts would be in vain if they found no way to win.

The only chance at victory that they now had was if the newcomers would get here in time. Raskovic did not put much hope in that, believing that they shouldn't put their trust blindly in people that they were unaffiliated with. They weren't even certain if those ships didn't belong to the imperials. For all he knew, he could get shot in the back.

"Captain, the enemy is gaining on us." His XO announced.

Raskovic had to restrain himself from replying sarcastically to the man. He was well aware of that, it was as clear as day to him. How was he supposed to miss their impending doom coming closer and closer to them? Instead, he merely sighed lowly.

"I am well aware, commander." He said tersely. "But at this point there is little we can do except for holding out as long as possible."

The captain scowled as the ship shook again. A few turbolaser batteries had gotten lucky, negating the evasive maneuvers that the frigate was performing, and had struck the vessel. Raskovic faintly heard someone cry out that their shields were being drained, but he was somewhere else with his thoughts. No matter how much he searched, there was no way out. He entertained the idea of ramming his ship into the star destroyer and take it down with them, yet it would prove to be futile. They'd be torn to shreds before they could even touch the star destroyer's bow.

"What's that Acclamator up to?" He suddenly asked, curious about the ground situation.

The ship's AI popped up and quickly responded, "Sir, the imperial assault ship is currently keeping position above the ocean, close to the landing beach. It is providing firing support to the imperial ground forces, dealing heavy damage to our own people. Luckily most of our soldiers are inside the jungle, where the enemy ship has difficulty firing without endangering its own allies."

"Those poor bastards won't hold out with something like that hanging over their heads." Raskovic muttered, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"Agreed." His XO said in kind. "This whole battle has gone FUBAR."

The two officers pondered some more on their situation but not for long. Something else quickly gained their attention, something that froze the blood in their veins.

"Bombers incoming!" An ensign called out, alerting all personnel to the imperial aircraft.

Escorted by multiple TIE fighters and interceptors, two whole bomber squadrons made their approach as their thrusters carried them towards the frigate. Raskovic's eyes went wide. If those bombers got through, then they wouldn't stand a chance. Their ship was already in bad shape. A few proton torpedoes, well aimed at the most vulnerable parts of the ship such as the bridge or engines, would without a doubt cripple them. It didn't inspire any confidence in the crew to see that their own starfighters were too busy themselves.

"Direct all flak guns at those bombers!" Shouted captain Raskovic, making sure everyone understood how severe this was. "Don't let a single one of them through! Flight command, I need fighters to intercept them!"

As if struck by lightning, the whole bridge lit up with yells of officers and the frenzied movements of the ensigns. The ship's cannons turned around, now aimed at the approaching TIE bombers that came closer by the second. Their escorts flocked to their side as the imperials descended upon the UNSC frigate. If the terrans won, it would mean a few more minutes of survival. If the imperials won, it would mean that the UNSC ground forces planetside would be utterly annihilated.

"This is it." Raskovic's XO quietly spoke, voice filled with anxiety and pleading. "Come on…"

A single squadron, or at least what was left of it, of Broadswords managed to go after the incoming attack force, but any other UNSC starfighter was unable to assist. The amount of TIEs swarming them was just too great. The six Broadswords immediately attacked the incoming TIE bombers, but did so at a high cost.

They all launched missiles at the TIEs, destroying a few starfighters and two bombers, but then became targets themselves. The TIE bombers' escort fired at the Broadswords using their own weaponry, blaster cannons spitting out laser bolts. It forced the Broadswords to disengage. However, they lost two more fighters in the process. Some TIEs broke away from the bombers as they pursued the Broadswords and engaged them. Yet in a display of courage and sacrifice, one of the squadron's pilots ignored the enemies on his tail and continued his attack.

He banked hard to the left to dodge blasterfire from a standard TIE, and then performed a barrel roll to do the same in order to evade getting blasted by an interceptor. His efforts did not go in vain. While his shields were almost gone, he was now right behind the bomber. The pilot grinned as he lined up his guns and aimed them at the vulnerable bomber. With just a push on the button he unleashed a torrent of rounds into the unshielded form of his target. The TIE bomber burst apart as its missile compartment was hit, causing all of its ammunitions to detonate. However, the pilot's victory was short-lived. The TIE fighters behind him finally managed to gun him down.

Now, there was nothing left between the bombers and the frigate except for the ship's point-defense guns.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Raskovic yelled loudly, strapping himself in his chair as the bombers arrived.

"Tracking targets." The ship's AI announced.

The _Deliverance_ 's point-defense cannons were quickly locked onto the TIEs, barrels pointing at the incoming bombers, before beginning to blast them to bits. Multiple TIEs were instantly destroyed by the opening salvo. However, the TIE pilots quickly reacted to the defensive turrets and began evasive maneuvers while maintaining their approach. Changing course, spinning, and every other trick in their books were used as they tried staying alive.

Yet five bombers were already taken out of commission, leaving a meager four of them to finish the job. The ship's cannons moved to destroy those as well, but by now the bombers were close enough to launch their payloads.

The four TIE bombers launched their missiles, proton torpedoes and bombs, unleashing a wave of death upon the UNSC frigate. Its shields, already strained by the relentless assault of the star destroyer, buckled in certain places where the ordinance struck. The entire ship shook and groaned as more than one deck were exposed to the vacuum outside. Numerous crew members were sucked out of their vessel as the damaged areas were depressurized. Some concussions missiles impacted against the large cannons of the heavy frigate, damaging and destroying two of them.

Raskovic accidentally bit on his tongue as the frigate shuddered, tasting the copper taste of blood in his mouth. He spat the red liquid on the floor. Foul words escaped his throat, multiple curse words coming to mind, and being thrown in the open by the enraged captain.

"Damage report!" He shouted.

His crew was quick to reply, "We've lost some of our weapons emplacements, and multiple decks are venting oxygen! We've got fires on deck three and four!"

"Sir," The ship's AI spoke grimly, "one of our engines has been damaged. The imperials are now gaining even more on us."

"Get damage control to put out those fires and seal off those decks." Raskovic ordered swiftly, his mind already hard at work. "Fire missile salvos at that star destroyer! If we can't run, then we'll go out with a bang."

"Yes, sir." Came the replies of his crew.

They all knew what was at stake here. This was a risk that they had known of at the moment they had enlisted, and now that very same risk of dying was becoming a reality that none could escape. No matter what their next few minutes would bring, Raskovic was proud of his crew. They were willing to sacrifice themselves even in the face of defeat. The captain straightened out the cap on his head and defiantly looked at the looming star destroyer.

He knew that his frigate had a chance at beating the hulking beast, at least if the MAC was still operational, but what the star destroyer lacked in efficiency, it made up with the ability to inspire fear. Even now he felt a chill go down his spine as the frigate turned around to face the imperial warship head-on. His eyes looked at the vulnerable spots, such as the exposed bridge, but he knew that they wouldn't be able to destroy it. Any missiles that they would launch would just detonate against its shields. If they got through, that is. TIE pilots were getting quite adept at shooting at missiles.

"Looks like this is it, sir." His XO commented sullenly.

Raskovic nodded, "It's been an honor."

"Captain!" Their comms officer shouted all of a sudden, gaining the officers' attention. "I've got a transmission coming through from the Alliance!"

"They're here? Put it through!" Raskovic ordered, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

The crew member nodded and quickly fulfilled his command. They didn't have any holograms, but their comms were still working fine. Those bombers hadn't disabled their communications array. Within moments a deep, somewhat croaky voice spoke in perfect English.

"This is admiral Ackbar aboard the _Home One_ , hailing the UNSC _Deliverance_." The voice spoke calmly, filled with resolve and determination.

Raskovic quickly replied, "This is captain Raskovic of the UNSC _Deliverance_. I read you loud and clear, admiral. We are being attacked by a star destroyer, while our engines and weapons systems have sustained damage. We could use some assistance. My fighters and ship are being overrun!"

"Understood, captain." Ackbar responded, his ship approaching the frigate. "My frigates and corvettes will form a defensive perimeter around you. They'll keep those TIE fighters off of you. I'll have my flagship engage the star destroyer, but I will need your starfighters to help escort our bombers. They'll disable the enemy shield generators and leave them vulnerable."

"Sounds good to me. Godspeed, admiral." Raskovic replied as he saw the Alliance fleet arrive.

The rebel flagship was approaching at a fast pace, flanked by four Nebulon frigates and seven corvettes, while numerous fighter squadrons of all kinds stayed close to the rebel ships. Raskovic found himself staring with some disappointment at the ships. While the flagship reminded him of a Covenant-styled vessel, the others did not inspire much confidence in him. The frigates were quite small, and if he had to be honest, underwhelming compared to UNSC and imperial frigates. Raskovic imagined that the star destroyer would make quick work of the smaller vessels.

"Do you really think they'll be able to win?" His XO said in disbelief, frowning as he looked up at the captain.

Raskovic didn't really think so, but he couldn't say that in front of the crew. Right now this was their only chance at survival. He couldn't bring it up in himself to squash these sailors' hopes. Instead, he put up a tough face and simply looked back at the enemy in front of them.

"It's now or never, commander." He said, forehead creased as he glared at the imperial warship. "Even if the Alliance cannot bring it down on their own, we will make sure ourselves that the job gets done. Now buckle up and steady yourselves. Weapons, prepare our remaining archer missiles. Comms, coordinate with our temporary allies. And flight command, make sure our pilots don't accidentally take down any Alliance fighters."

"Yes, sir!" Everyone replied all together.

Outside of the UNSC heavy frigate, the Alliance ships finally arrived at the battle, already moving to engage the imperial forces. Their presence hadn't gone unnoticed by the imperials either. Multiple TIE squadrons immediately broke off and headed towards the X-wings and A-wings, engines revved and blaster cannons warming up.

The rebel pilots knew what was at stake here. However, they didn't need to know what success here would mean, just to fight the imperials. Each and every single one of them had been fighting the empire for a long time now. They didn't need a reason to blast a TIE fighter.

"This is admiral Ackbar to all fighters, aid the UNSC in fending off those TIEs and protect those bombers!" Ackbar declared over the Alliance comm channel. "Bombers, approach the star destroyer and take down those shields!"

Replying affirmatively, the multiple squadrons of X-wings, A-wings and Y-wings began their assault. In order to stop them, the TIE pilots gathered all fighters that they could spare as they flew towards the rebels. Like a tidal wave of eyeball-shaped predators they descended upon the newcomers. They were out for blood, and UNSC blood was no longer the only thing left on the menu. However, the imperials soon realized that they were biting off more than they could chew.

It was a common understanding among the imperial pilot ranks that rebel starfighters were not to be taken lightly. Aside from the fact that X-wings were superior craft compared to the standard TIE, everyone knew that the Rebel Alliance had some of the best starfighter pilots in the galaxy. Fighting the UNSC for such a long time had apparently caused them to forget. The TIE pilots immediately realized their blunder, remembering that rebel tactics were nothing like those of the UNSC.

The two sides clashed with each other, rebels fighting oppressors, and the Alliance starfighters smashed through the imperials. The X-wings led the way, acting as the blunt instruments that shattered the imperial lines, while the A-wings quickly began chasing the scattered TIE squadrons down. With the enemy's focus being on the nimble interceptors, the Y-wing bombers safely followed the X-wings into the fray, enjoying the security of their escort as they headed for the star destroyer that loomed like an angry giant in the distance.

With the imperial TIEs distracted, the rebel warships finally acted.

The UNSC pilots were pleasantly surprised to see the TIEs scatter upon the arrival of the rebel ships. Corvettes flew around the damaged UNSC frigate, laser cannons firing nonstop at the enemy starfighters, providing excellent cover fire for the Broadswords. To their credit, the imperials tried retaliating, yet it proved to be ineffective as the Broadswords flocked to the rebel corvettes and protected them from harm. When the rebel frigates arrived they effectively chased away the TIEs.

"They're pulling back!" Nightmare-3 shouted gleefully upon seeing the TIE fighters turn around.

Cullen grinned widely, watching as the newcomers smashed the imperial to bits. He saw how an X-shaped fighter expertly stayed behind a TIE interceptor and destroyed it in less than ten seconds. Its red-colored energy bolts pierced the shape of the interceptor, causing it explode into pieces of debris.

"This is Gold squadron of the Alliance, requesting an escort as we approach the star destroyer." He suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice speak up on their comms channel, realizing that he was listening to one of the newcomers.

"Affirm, Nightmare squadron copies." Cullen heard his squadron leader reply, before addressing the whole squadron. "Everyone on me, protect those bombers."

"Wilco, nightmare-one." Cullen immediately answered.

The Broadswords' engines roared as they flew towards the bombers. Cullen's immediate impression was not a good one once he saw them. Shaped like a Y, the Alliance bombers did not seem like they were of the best quality nor that they were some of the newest models. However, orders were orders. These bombers could take down that star destroyer's shields? Then he wasn't going to complain.

Together with Gold squadron, the UNSC squadron of Broadswords neared the imperial warship. Just like always it was a daunting presence on the battlefield. Dozens of cannons on the vessel were firing at the rebel and UNSC ships, lighting up the darkness of space as it advanced. Cullen had never gotten this close to one of them. Usually he was on interceptor duty, or assisting ground forces, not bringing the fight to the enemy like others did. It was probably a good thing that these star destroyers lacked proper point-defense weaponry, somewhat soothing his nerves.

"Gold-leader, this is nightmare-one, where do you need to go?" Nightmare-one asked, attracting Cullen's attention.

"Nightmare-one, this is gold-leader, our approach vector brings us to the upper side of the star destroyer. We simply need to drop our ion bombs to disable their shields, then leave it to the _Home One_ to finish it off." Gold-leader answered.

"Copy, gold-leader." The UNSC pilot replied before turning to the men and women under his command. "You've heard the man, keep those TIEs off of them."

"And not a minute too soon." Cullen muttered under his breath, eyes on the enemies that were headed their way.

As if sensing their intent, the star destroyer and its TIEs prioritized the bombers. Lances of emerald-colored energy were thrown their way by numerous turrets installed on the star destroyer. Yet for all their destructive capabilities, they lacked the accuracy of a proper point-defense gun, which meant that every shot was a miss. That didn't stop the imperials from trying though.

Multiple TIE fighters were already blasting at them, laser cannons aimed at the Broadswords and Y-wings. Cullen had to dodge more than once to avoid getting shot. He expected the Y-wings to have difficulty, yet the bombers were nimbler than they appeared to be. Either that or the pilots flying them had been fired upon enough for them to get better at evading blaster fire.

"This is gold-two, I've got one on my six!" Cullen heard one of the Alliance pilots announce.

He looked to where the Y-wing was flying and saw its pursuer. A lone TIE fighter was tailing the bomber, trying desperately to stop the strike craft from reaching the warship. However, the pilot inside the Y-wing was quite skilled, something that Cullen had to admit.

The UNSC pilot grinned viciously, "Nightmare-four here, I see the SOB. Moving in to assist."

He broke away from his previous vector and lowered his speed, doing so to get behind the TIE. His Broadsword spun around twice as he seemingly stopped all at once, before he steadied it again. Now he was right behind the TIE. Cullen smirked as his targeting computer locked onto the grey starfighter, a missile already prepped and ready to go, awaiting his command. Seeing as TIEs were completely unshielded, the missile would obliterate the TIE.

Cullen pushed the button without any hesitation and watched as the rocket was launched. Apparently the imperial pilot had noticed the incoming missile, as he began to maneuver evasively. Yet the person failed. Cullen's missile impacted into the starfighter's left wing and destroyed the whole craft. When Cullen flew past the wreckage, he felt no remorse for the dead imperial, but only relief that the rebel one had been saved.

"Thanks for saving me there, nightmare-four." Gold-two told him over the radio.

"You're welcome, gold-two." Cullen replied, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

They were starting to get near the star destroyer, but that also meant that the turbolaser fire was getting more intense. Luckily for them most of it was aimed at the Mon Calamari cruiser behind them. Ackbar's ship was getting in position while some of the vessel's cannons were already returning fire. Cullen just hoped he wouldn't get hit by a stray blaster bolt, preferring to stay alive for now.

"Incoming!" One of the Broadsword pilots called out. "On our left, they're- agh!"

Cullen gulped slightly as he heard his comrade cry out, eyes looking at the fiery explosion that used to be nightmare-five. The Broadsword was completely destroyed. For a moment he thought he could see the man's corpse floating in space, but that thought was quickly cast out of his mind, all the while the killer soared past them. A TIE defender was on to them, flanked by two interceptors.

"We've got a defender on our tail." Cullen growled into the comms, already dodging blaster fire.

"We've got our own problems!" His squadron leader replied.

The TIEs were starting to swarm them with the numbers that they had left, trying desperately to break the formation. However, the Broadswords and Y-wings refused to break off. They continued on their path. It was just a small distance now, and the rebel pilots were already preparing to drop their bombs.

Cullen tried shaking off the TIE defender, yet no matter how much he tried it just didn't work. It was to expected. TIE defenders were a rare sight on the battlefield, which was a good thing for the UNSC pilots, as the defender possessed shields and better weaponry than the standard TIE. Taking down normal TIEs was easy, but TIE defenders were always flown by the best imperial pilots. Cullen cursed openly as a blaster bolt hit his Broadsword. He needed to concentrate if he wanted to survive.

"This is nightmare-four, requesting immediate assistance!" He yelled as another bolt struck his fighter.

The TIE was absolutely relentless in its pursuit. Cullen wished he could put a bullet in whoever came up with the design of the TIE, but with how things were looking he wouldn't get the chance. He could feel the sweat pour down his back. Panic was starting to worm into his mind, and it wouldn't help a single bit.

"Nightmare-four, rogue-three here, I've got him in my sights." Came a calm voice over the comms, belonging to an Alliance pilot.

Cullen winced as a TIE blew up close to his own starfighter, the intense light almost blinding him. At least it wasn't one of his own. He was faintly aware of how dry his throat was, his nerves almost going crazy, and how his heartbeat was loud enough for his ears to pick up on. Cullen's eyes widened when an alarm pinged, a red light flashing before him. The TIE had just locked onto him and had fired a missile at him.

He immediately tried to prevent the rocket from reaching him. Cullen reached out with a gloved hand and pressed a button, letting his Broadsword launch flares to shake off the missile. Luckily for him it worked. The missile went after the nearest heat source and exploded once it reached it, safely away from Cullen's starfighter. He let out a sigh of relief once the alarm stopped pinging. However, his relief was cut short once the TIE resumed firing.

Cursing loudly, he steered his Broadsword away as the defender kept up the pressure. Just as it seemed as if the TIE pilot would get him, a duo of red-colored torpedoes slammed into the imperial starfighter, smashing through its shields and ripping the craft apart. The defender blew up in a spectacular explosion. Cullen openly cheered as his foe was finally eliminated, allowing him to take a quick breather. It was as if a heavy weight had been taken off of his shoulders.

"Rogue-three, this is nightmare-four, thanks for the assist." He thanked the rebel pilot.

The voice on the other side of the comms chuckled softly, "No problem, nightmare-four."

"All pilots, be advised, bombers are approaching the star destroyer. Standby for drop." Someone called out over the shared comm frequency.

With no TIEs harassing them, due to the Broadswords and X-wings that were fending off any imperial stupid enough to get close, the Y-wing bombers only had to worry about the star destroyer's laser cannons. However, the rebel pilots were more than skilled enough to dodge the aim of a standard imperial gunner. With their engines rumbling and their targeting computers analyzing data, the bombers arrived at last.

The Alliance pilots immediately began flipping switches, opening chutes as the ion bombs were armed. With these bombs they would be able to disrupt the star destroyer's electronics for a short amount of time, though the imperial engineers would be able to get their ship running again soon enough. But that small window was enough for the Alliance. They'd use that time to smash the star destroyer to bits.

As soon as the Y-wings flew over their target, the command was given.

"Gold squadron, this is gold-leader, bombs away. I repeat, bombs away." The officer in charge of the rebel bomber squadron called out.

Bright blue projectiles were launched out of the bombers, all of them shining like gems, as they sped towards the star destroyer down below. The imperials aboard could only watch it happen. There was no way to stop the bombs now. One by one they landed on grey exterior, detonating upon impact and causing a wave of energy to course over the vessel, frying its electronics which in turn momentarily disabled the star destroyer.

"Good hit! Good hit!" A UNSC pilot announced, voice filled with happiness as lights flickered on and off aboard the warship.

The destroyer's engines sputtered slightly, the enormous cone-shaped machines losing its radiant blue glow. One engine lost power while the other did not, causing the ship to change course, and then again as another engine suddenly lost power. The star destroyer began to drift as it no longer had any control of where it was going. The large turbolaser batteries also fell silent. No longer turning to aim, no longer shaking because of green plasma leaving the barrels, they were completely inactive.

As for the ship's shields, they soon followed after. Ackbar was quick to act accordingly. He didn't allow this opportunity to slip through his webbed fingers.

"All cannons, fire! I want everyone to engage that ship!" He barked loudly, heard over the comm channel by everyone.

The _Home One_ shook as the turbolasers installed on it fired numerous volleys, red bolts of energy slamming into the unshielded hull of the star destroyer. Pieces of debris broke off the star destroyer while it was being torn apart. Without power it was completely defenseless, save for a few manually-manned laser cannons. Yet these were hardly any help in the face of such an enemy. Their small shots were simply absorbed by the _Home One_ 's fully operational shields.

Not wanting to let the rebels have all the fun, the UNSC assisted by firing numerous ship-to-ship missiles. The _Deliverance_ 's missile silos opened up as the archer missiles sped away towards the star destroyer. With little to no defenses left, the star destroyer was sitting ducks while the human-made ordnance came closer, not even the few turbolasers left operational could shoot down that many missiles. Explosions racked the hull of the star destroyer upon impact.

Cullen and the rest of the pilots cheered as the star destroyer began falling apart. The Alliance turbolasers and UNSC missiles were ravaging the ship, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake, and before long it was enough to finally put the imperial warship down. The bridge was ripped from the upper structure, an engine cone fell off and the spinal structure of the star destroyer cracked beneath the pressure. It took only seconds before the reactor finally imploded on itself. A huge explosion erupted from the underside of the star destroyer which caused many other, smaller explosions among the vessel. Debris was thrown everywhere, hitting a few starfighters that were too close to the doomed ship, and as the remnants of the star destroyer floated away, it was clear who had won the battle.

"This is admiral Ackbar to all friendly forces," Ackbar spoke up with much pride, "the imminent imperial threat has been averted. Mop up the remaining TIEs, and prepare for more danger to come. Well done!."


	18. Author's note

So, I guess it's been a while, huh? Then again, I have a habit of not posting anything for months. But anyway, I think you all know where this is going. Like many of you may have realized, I've decided to stop writing Star Wars: Halo At War. It's been fun, but to be perfectly honest with you all I have lost the will to write anymore chapters.

So! I still have some good news, so you can skip the next few paragraphs if you want to hear it.

Looking back on how this story began, I never really expected it to turn into what it is now. I mean, over 300 favs and 400 follows! Wow! I never expected that to be honest. I am grateful for all the support, and that's why I kinda feel like a dick for quitting, but it is what it is. It's also quite surprising because the story isn't actually all that great.

When I began this story, it was meant to be a one-shot about a battle; that's all. Instead, it expanded into a larger story, but I think it's clear that there was no outline at all. Most of the time I just threw in random events, mixed with series of events like Halo 4. Hell, I wrote all of this without any plan! I just typed whatever came to mind.

So yeah, that's one reason why I don't want to continue the story anymore. The plot is all over the place, and I shake my head at my younger self for being so shortsighted. In addition, I got a lot of things wrong. I mean, imperial interdictors somehow stopping UNSC ships from escaping? The hell was I thinking?! That's not how it works! I learned a lot by writing this story though, and it's an experience I don't regret.

Even though a few people were _very_ vocal in showing how they disagreed with certain things such as how ships fare against each other… But I admit I clearly showed favoritism at certain points, and I apologize for that.

Now, in case some of you would still like to see me write Halo and Star Wars crossovers, I do plan on writing one-shots. These stories would be like a chronicles series of this story; it's set in the same universe, but will be focused on scenarios. I've already posted one of these, called Fields of Vosemia, which will be about a bloody battle between UNSC defenders and imperial invaders. If you're interested, please go check it out. These kinds of stories won't be extremely long, but probably at least 30.000 to 40.000 words in length.

That's all I have to say. Once again, thank you so much for sticking around this long and having read this little story I came up with; it's been a great journey!


End file.
